


Spectral Beauty

by EmmaThatWriterGirl



Category: Insidious (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-05
Updated: 2018-04-17
Packaged: 2019-03-13 23:59:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 34
Words: 25,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13581708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmmaThatWriterGirl/pseuds/EmmaThatWriterGirl
Summary: "you're so pretty that it's almost ghostly""are you saying that I have this spectral beauty to me?""that's exactly what i'm saying"





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Lambert’s —husband and wife Josh and Renai, two sons Dalton and Foster, daughter Cali and Josh’s sister Jessie— have moved into their new home. 
> 
> Will their bliss last forever? Or will something drastic take a toll on the Lambert’s?

Jessie Lambert was blinded by the lights peeking through the curtains. It was the first morning at her new home where she lived with her older brother Josh, sister in law Renai, her two nephews Dalton and Foster, and her niece Cali. She left her room and went into the living room where Renai and Dalton were looking through some pictures. She sat down on the floor beside them.

"Jessie, you wouldn't happen to know if Josh kept any pictures from when he was younger?" Renai asked.

"No, and I don't think any were kept of me either. We never really had our pictures taken that much" Jessie explained.

"Show me a picture of when I was a little kid" Dalton asked.

"You are a little kid. You were wonderful" Renai said, and then Cali started to cry. "You certainly didn't cry as much as your little sister, but she's up" 

"Come on Dalton, let's get dressed and eat some breakfast" Jessie said.

* * *

Jessie was leaning against the counter eating cereal from a bowl while Renai was on the phone. Dalton was at the table while Foster was on the floor. There were still boxes all over the kitchen. Foster asked Renai for a bowl so she reached into one of the boxes and pulled out a mug.

"Here" she said

"It's too small" Foster said when Renai gave him the cup.

"Just make it work" Renai went back to talking on the phone. 

"Morning guys" Josh said as he entered the kitchen. After Renai fixed his tie, he poured himself a cup of coffee. "Jess, how's your novel coming so far?"

"It's getting there" Jessie responded. She was currently working on her first novel. It was a horror novel. The plot of it was a cliched paranormal story, but she needed to start somewhere. Renai finally got off the phone.

"Foster, can you please get up off the floor?" she said as she walked by him. Josh walked over to the table and grabbed one of the apples. He took a bite into it before realizing it was wax.

“What is this? Wax? Don't we have actual fruit?" Josh said. Renai came back into the kitchen.

"Honey," she started, looking at Dalton. "If you wanna read my books, that's fine just please don't leave them all over the floor"

"I didn't touch your books" Dalton said. 

"I gotta go" Josh said before he kissed Dalton and Foster on the head.

"You're not going to take the boys to school?" Renai asked

"I can't" Josh kissed Cali on the forehead.

"Are you going to pick them up?"

"I can't today. I've got a PTA meeting. I totally forgot" 

"Why didn't you tell me?" Renai asked. Josh gave her a kiss, and then kissed Jessie's cheek before leaving.

"Renai, if you want me to, I can take the boys today and I can pick them up" Jessie offered.

"Are you sure? I know you've got your story to work on and---" 

"It's okay. Besides, I'm having a serious case of writer's block"

* * *

 

"Aunt Jessie, what is your story about?" Dalton asked.

"Well, it's about a family that moves into a house but the house is haunted. I'm lacking inspiration for it right now though. I don't know what to write" Jessie said.

"Could we read it when you're done?" Foster asked.

"I guess you could, but it's gonna be a while yet" Jessie pulled up in front of the school. "Alright you two. I'll pick you up around 3:30, okay?"

"Okay Aunt Jessie" both Dalton and Foster said. They both got out of the car and went into the school. Jessie didn't drive away until she knew that they were both safely in the school. Before heading home, she stopped to pick up some coffee for her and Renai. Jessie knew Renai would be working on her music. That meant Jessie could try working on her novel. 

She just hoped that her writer's block will be gone soon. Hopefully something will give her inspiration, or maybe even someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Felicity Jones as Jessie Lambert  
> Leigh Whannell as Specs  
> Angus Sampson as Tucker  
> Lin Shaye as Elise Rainier  
> Patrick Wilson as Josh Lambert  
> Rose Byrne as Renai Lambert  
> Barbara Hershey as Lorraine Lambert  
> Ty Simpkins as Dalton Lambert


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dalton takes a fall and Jessie ends up falling asleep and dreams about an old friend of hers...
> 
> Will Dalton be alright? And who is this mysterious friend of Jessie’s?

When Jessie made it home, it seemed quiet. She walked into the kitchen, and placed Renai's cup of coffee on the counter. Jessie put hers on the table which she began to set up as her workstation. She grabbed her laptop and opened the draft of her novel. 

"Jessie? Are you home?" Renai's voice called out. She walked into the kitchen and saw that Jessie was staring at the screen, but not typing anything. "Still stuck?"

"It's been three days and I haven't even started chapter four. By the way, your coffee is on the counter" Jessie said. Renai grabbed her coffee and sat across from Jessie. 

"Jess, you've been thinking about the book too much. Maybe if you distract your mind from it, an idea will pop in your head. Maybe you need a boyfriend"

"No, I do not, but you are right about keeping my mind distracted. How about we start unpacking some of these boxes?" 

* * *

Jessie helped Renai unpack until it was time to go pick the boys up. When she got home, she helped Renai unpack what was left and then went back to work on her laptop. She began researching some stories about people being haunted by ghosts to gain some inspiration. Jessie was so caught up in reading some of the stories she didn't even notice that Josh was home.

"Any luck today Jess?" Josh asked

"No. I'm reading some stories about hauntings to inspire me" she replied.

"You know for someone who loved ghost stories when she was younger, you'd think she'd be able to write one"

"I am! It's just I don't want it being like every other horror novel out there. I want it to stand out" Just then, there was a scream coming from the attic. Renai, Josh and Jessie all rushed up to see what was going on. When they all got up there, Dalton was on the floor.

"What happened? Did you fall off the ladder?" Renai asked her son. Josh turned on the light.

"What are you doing climbing the ladder? Are you okay?" he asked

"Does anything hurt?" Jessie asked

"My leg" Dalton said. Josh got Dalton to try to move his leg. Jessie, meanwhile looked at Dalton's head.

"What happened to your head? Does it hurt?" she asked.

"I scraped it" 

"Honey, you cannot come up here. You cannot explore anymore. It's very dangerous, okay? It's off limits now" Renai said. Josh picked up Dalton, and took him out of the attic. Jessie followed them, and then Renai did.

* * *

 

Everyone went off to bed, except for Jessie. She decided she would stay up a bit longer to try and work on her story. She sat in the dark kitchen, with her face illuminated by the bright light of the screen. The longer she stared at her computer screen, the heavier her eyelids became. She eventually ended up falling asleep at the kitchen table.

* * *

_1990_  

A ten year old Jessie sat on her bed reading another Stephen King book. This time it was one about a possessed car. She couldn't set the book down. She loved horror stories. Nothing really ever scared her.

"Jess?" a voice whispered. When Jessie looked over, she saw the face of her "imaginary" friend, Benny. He was about the same age as Jessie was, and he was her only friend, besides her brother of course. Sure Benny was imaginary, Jessie was the only one who could see him, but at the same time he seemed so real.

"What is it Benny?" she asked.

"I was lonely again. I'm always lonely when I'm home. Sometimes I wish you could come with me"

"Well, why can't I?"

"Because, where I come from is a very bad place with very bad people"

"I'm sure I'd be able to handle it. What's this place called anyways?"

"It's called The Fu---" 

"Jess? Who are you talking to?" Jessie's mother Lorraine said. She stood in the doorway. "It's not that imaginary friend of yours, is it?" Lorraine was always concerned about Jessie. It wasn't normal for a girl her daughter's age to have an imaginary friend.

"Benny is real mom!" Jessie defended.

"I believe you sweetheart. I just worry about you sometimes" Lorraine left, leaving Jessie and Benny alone. 

"Why is Lorraine always so worried about you talking to me?" Benny asked.

"I don't know. I think it has something to do with Josh but she won't tell me about it. Anyways, about this place you were talking about, I could totally handle it" Jessie assured her friend.

"No! I'm not risking it with you! I have to go but I'll come visit you tonight, alright?" 

"Fine" Benny gave Jessie a smile before he disappeared. What exactly was this place that Benny didn't want her to see? 

* * *

"Jessie? Jessie?" Renai had found Jessie sleeping on the table. "Jessie, wake up"

"Benny? Is that you?" Jessie mumbled when she lifted her head. 

"Who's Benny? Is there some kind of boyfriend I don't know about?" Renai asked with an amused smile on her face.

"No, I don't have a boyfriend Renai. Benny was just a friend I had when I was a kid" Jessie explained. When Josh came into the kitchen, he had a worried look on his face.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Renai asked.

"Dalton isn't waking up"


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dalton is in a coma and some weird things are happening around the Lambert household. Meanwhile, Jessie receives a visit from an old friend who thinks he might be able to help...
> 
> What exactly are these strange occurances? And does Jessie's friend know why these things are happening?

It's been three months since Dalton was put into his coma. It's taken a hard hit on the family, especially Renai. She can't focus on her music, just like Jessie was finding it hard to work on her book. On this particular day, Jessie spent most of it in her room. She leaned against the headboard of her bed, laptop on her laptop as she watched some random movie on Netflix. She had her headphones in so she didn't hear when someone started approaching her. She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Renai, you scared me" Jessie pulled her earphones out, and turned her head to look at Renai. Only it wasn't Renai. "Benny? Is that you?"

"Sorry I scared you" he said. He was an adult of thirty now, much like Jessie. His visits stopped when she turned sixteen.

"I haven't seen you in fourteen years. Why are you here now?"

"I'm here because of Dalton"

"How do you know Dalton?"

"He's stuck in my world, and I know someone who can help"

* * *

Renai had heard a voice on Cali's baby monitor so she went to investigate. When Renai got to her daughter's room, Cali was crying and no one was there. Renai picked up Cali and then walked out of the room with her. She walked past Jessie's room and heard her talking to someone.

"Are you absolutely sure this person can help us?" Jessie said. There was a moment of silence before Jessie spoke again. "I promise, and please watch over him. Make sure he's safe" Renai knocked before entering Jessie's room. It was only Jessie.

"Who were you talking to?" Renai asked.

"Oh, I'm just watching a movie. I can turn the volume down if it's bothering you" Jessie explained.

"No, it's fine. I'm sorry for bothering you" Renai left Jessie alone, closing the door behind her.

* * *

Renai and Josh settled into bed and she began to explain to him about the voices on the baby monitor.

"Something weird happened today" Renai said

"What?" Josh replied.

"I heard something coming from Cali's room. A man's voice. On the baby monitor. It scared the hell outta me. I went in there and no one was there"

"Probably just interference. Those things are always picking up someone else's monitors"

"I don't know. It was so clear. I was sitting at the piano and I heard this whispering on the baby monitor. Then this weird thing happened with Jessie today"

"What did my sister do?"

"I walked by her room, her door was closed and it sounded like she was talking to someone, but I went into her room and no one was there. She said it was the movie on her laptop" Renai explained.

"Well, she did have an imaginary friend when she was younger, but she outgrew it when she turned sixteen" Josh said.

* * *

In Jessie's room, it was her and Benny with only the light of a flashlight. She had a notepad and was scribbling down things that Benny told her.

"So this woman, what was her name again?" Jessie asked

"Elise Rainier" Benny explained. Jessie scribbled down the name. "She also has these two assistants named Specs and Tucker"

"And these three could help us bring Dalton back?"

"Yes. You haven't told Renai and Josh about this yet, have you?"

"No, but I don't understand. Why can't they know yet?"

"That would be putting them in danger, and putting Dalton into more danger. I've already put you in danger by visiting and telling you this stuff. I'm not supposed to" Benny explained.

"I can take care of myself" There was a knock on the front door. There was an odd yet concerned look on Benny's face. "Is that one of your friends?"

"No, but I think I should go now. I promise I'll be back"

"Benny, wait---" Before Jessie could finish her sentence, Benny disappeared. As soon as he was gone, Jessie could hear Renai scream from Cali's room and then the house alarm started going off.

* * *

 

It's been two days and Jessie hasn't seen Benny. He still hadn't told her what exactly was going on, but she has kept her promise not to contact Elise or tell Renai and Josh. Benny would tell her when the right time will be. Renai was in Dalton's room with the nurse who stopped by, so Jessie took it upon herself to make some lunch. She opted for grilled cheese sandwiches.

"Jessie! Jessie!" Renai screamed. Jessie turned off the burner on the stove and ran up to Dalton's room.

"Renai, what's wrong?" Jessie asked. Renai didn't say anything but instead pointed to the red hand print on Dalton's bed.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Lambert's move into a new home, but is it really the end of their troubles?
> 
> Will they ever learn what is causing these hauntings? And will they accept the help that they desperately need?

Renai's last straw with the house is when she saw someone walking outside the bedroom window, and then the same person appeared in the bedroom with her. By the next day, the family was out of the house and moved into a suburban home. Josh and Jessie's mother Lorraine stopped by to help them unpack.

"Mom, you don't need to do any of this" Jessie said

"Nonsense. I'm perfectly capable of putting a few things away. I did it for your brother his whole life. Renai is the one who should be sitting down" Lorraine said. She picked up a picture in it's frame and looked at it. She seemed surprised by it.

"What is it mom?"

"I can't believe you and Josh actually sat still for a photo"

"I can't believe we're doing all this again. It's ridiculous. Lorraine, you must think I'm crazy" Renai said

"Nobody, not me, not anybody knows what you're going through right now. Whatever you have to do to get through it, do it. And you don't have to apologize for anything" Lorraine said.

"Mom's right Renai" Jessie assured.

"Thanks, both of you" Renai said. Lorraine left the kitchen and Jessie followed her out. She grabbed her by the hand, and pulled Lorraine into her bedroom.

"Is everything okay?" Lorraine asked

"Mom, I'm seeing him again" Jessie said. Lorraine always believed Jessie about Benny, and she wasn't going to stop now. "I haven't seen him in fourteen years and he shows up now"

"Do your brother and Renai know about Benny?"

"No, but Benny knows about Dalton and he knows someone who can help him"

* * *

Jessie had numerous errands that she had to do. She felt bad about leaving Renai alone. Jessie came home around the same time as Josh did. Jessie had a numerous amount of grocery bags in her hands.

"Do you need any help?" Josh asked

"No, I've got them" Jessie said. When they got inside the house, Renai was sitting on the couch talking to a priest.

"This is the first line of a joke, right? Guy comes home to find his wife home with a priest" Josh said.

"I'm just gonna take these into the kitchen" Jessie said, referring to the groceries. She walked past Lorraine as she set some tea down on the dining room table.

* * *

Lorraine, Jessie, Josh and Lorraine sat down at the table.

"This thing that was in the other house. It followed us here. I saw something today. I thought it was a little boy. I followed it into Dalton's room. It wasn't a child, it was something else" Renai explained.

"So what? You just brought a priest in to get rid of it?" Josh said.

"I didn't know what else to do Josh"

"Come on Renai. When's the last time you went to church?"

"Josh, when you're scared and desperate like Renai is, you'd do anything to get rid of whatever is scaring you" Jessie defended. She crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. "I believe her. Why can't you?"

"What's happening to Renai is real. I've seen it for myself. I came here today because last night I had a dream about this place. I was in this house but it was late at night. I was afraid. I went into your bedroom. You were both asleep. I knew that I was asleep in the dream but I could feel that someone was awake in the house. I went into Dalton's room. There was something in there with him. It was standing in the corner. I asked it who it was. It said it was a visitor. I said what do you want. It said Dalton. I can still hear that voice" Lorraine said. She looked at Josh, screamed and jumped out of her seat when she was a red and black face behind him. Jessie got up and hugged Lorraine.

"Mom, what was it?" Jessie asked. There was a loud noise coming from Dalton's room so the four of them went to go see what it was. Josh tried opening the door but he couldn't. Once he did finally open it, Dalton's room looked destroyed while he was on the floor. Josh and Renai kneeled beside Dalton. Jessie touched Lorraine's shoulder.

"Mom, it's time" Jessie said.

"We know someone who can help. If you're willing to ask" Lorraine said.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, Jessie and Specs will meet and then their romance will begin to blossom.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Help comes to the Lambert house in the form of Specs and Tucker. When he meets Jessie, Specs becomes interested in something more than finding a ghost.

That evening, a pair of guests stopped by the Lambert household. They were here to help solve their haunting problem. Renai and Josh were the ones to answer the door while Jessie stayed seated in the living room.

"I'm Specs. This is Tucker"

"I'm Renai" She shook Specs' hand.

"Hi" Specs then looked at Josh. "You must be Josh. That wasn't psychic. Elise already told me your name"

"Where is Elise?" Renai asked

"She sent us over to do some preliminary tests"

"Helps weed out the nutjobs" Tucker said. Specs, Renai and Josh just looked at Tucker while he ate his hot pocket.

"Let's go into the living room. Jessie is waiting for us" Renai said. Renai and Josh led Specs and Tucker into the living room where Jessie patiently waited for them. "Jessie, they're here" Jessie looked towards them and flashed them a smile. When Specs laid his eyes on her, he couldn't peel them away.

"It's nice to meet both of you. Let me guess. You're Tucker" Jessie said, pointing towards him. He acknowledged her by nodding. Jessie moved her attention to Specs. "And you're Specs" She held out her hand for him to shake, which he gladly did.

"And you're pretty" Specs blurted out. Jessie raised her eyebrows and let out a giggle. "I mean, you're Jessie"

"Yes, I am. I'd also like my hand back please" Specs had been holding onto her hand for longer than he meant to. He let her hand go, even though he didn't really want to.

"I-I'm sorry. You've got soft hands by the way"

"Thanks" Jessie felt a blush creep up on her cheeks.

* * *

Specs stood near the window, looking around the room though his attention most of the time was on Jessie, who was standing in between Josh and Renai. Tucker opened up a case and took out an electronic device.

"What is that?" Renai asked

"Tri-field meter. It measures DC fields and the natural electromagnetic environment" Tucker explained.

"Sometimes old wiring can leak into the atmosphere. It can cause hallucinations, changes in energy" Specs explained.

"Not really, but whatever"

"The tech stuff's not relevant to you anyway"

"It's very relevant, actually" Tucker began moving the device around the room. Meanwhile, Specs found something in an open box that peaked his interest (other than Jessie).

"Starfleet series one" Specs said, taking the doll out of the box. "It's hard to find. Should've kept it in it's box" Jessie let out an amused giggle, which made Josh give her a look. Specs looked in her direction again and smiled. She had an adorable laugh, and he was already thinking of ways to make her giggle so he could hear it again.

* * *

Everyone moved to Josh and Renai's bedroom. Tucker now had a device that looked like a View Master toy. He put a wheel with different colored filters in it.

"This device measures the changes in UV light. I make all this equipment myself you know" Tucker explained.

"That's impressive" Renai said.

"Thanks. It's not that hard if you know what you're doing"

"Yeah, that ones basically a modified toy" Specs said. He made Jessie giggle again. This made everyone look at her.

"I might need some time alone to concentrate" Tucker said. The four of them left the room.

* * *

Jessie and Specs sat together. He told her all about the kind of work that he and Tucker do together and Jessie listened intently. Maybe this was the inspiration she needed for her novel.

"I think you two have the coolest job in the world. I'm just a writer who can't even figure out what direction her novel is going" Jessie said

"What kind of novel?" Specs asked.

"It's a horror novel about a family living in a haunted house, but I can't find the inspiration for it"

"If you want, I could share some stories with you. Maybe that would help"

"I'd love that. Thanks Specs" Jessie smiled and placed her hand on his knee. Specs glanced down at her hand, and then back to her beautiful face. Clearly she was as interested in him as he was in her because she giggled at things he said twice, and her hand was on his knee and it wasn't coming off any time soon.

"My pleasure. Maybe we could make it a da---" He was interrupted when Tucker entered the room.

"We need to call Elise. Now" Tucker said.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elise Rainier comes to the Lambert house and discovers something terrifying about Dalton.
> 
> What exactly did Elise discover? And will Josh, Renai and Jessie accept her help?

The following morning there was a knock on the door. When Josh opened it, Elise Rainier was on the other side.

"I wasn't sure the doorbell was working. I'm sorry" Elise said

"It's alright. Come on in" Josh said. Elise stepped inside the house. "Mrs. Rainier?"

"No, Mrs. Rainier is my mother. Please call me Elise"

"I'm Josh"

"I knew that. You've grown since I last saw you"

"Since you last saw me?"

"Your mother and I have been friends a long time" Elise said. She turned around to see Jessie, who was standing beside Specs. "Jessie, I haven't seen you since you were maybe about six years old. You've grown into such a beautiful woman"

"Thanks Elise. I've heard a lot about you from...a friend of mine" Jessie said. Elise knew who Jessie was talking about and gave her a smile. Jessie motioned towards Renai. "This is Renai. Josh's wife and my sister-in-law"

"Thank you for coming. Can I get you anything?" Renai said

"Oh no, I'm fine. Thank you" Elise said

"We took Tri-field and EMF readings of the whole house. All the wiring, alarm clocks, radios, toasters, TV, record player, fuse box. Nothing went off the charts" Tucker explained.

"And the previous home?"

"Tucker hadn't monitored that yet. You know what, don't sweat it. I'll make myself available. I'll get on that this afternoon" Specs said

"I'll have to come too because who's gonna operate the equipment" Tucker said

"That's fine gentlemen. I don't think bad wiring is the problem here. May I walk through the house?" Elise said.

"Of course" Renai said.

"You're other children are with Lorraine, right?"

"Yes"

"What about you Jessie? Do you have any children?"

"Nope. I've never even been married before. I'm waiting for the right guy" Jessie said, glancing over at Specs. He caught her looking at him, and smiled at her.

"Steven, do you have your sketchbook?" Elise asked.

"Yes, yes I do" Specs said, grabbing his sketchbook.

"Good because we're going to need it"

"What's it for?" Jessie asked curiously.

"She tells me what she sees and I draw it. It's the most important part of her process" Specs explained.

"That's debatable" Tucker said

* * *

They all went into Dalton's bedroom. Specs was about to turn on the light.

"Leave the light off" Elise said. Elise walked closer to Dalton and Specs followed her. "Hey Dalton. You are a very handsome boy. Your mom, dad and aunt are here so don't you worry" Elise looked above Dalton's bed, and then started whispering to Specs, who was drawing what she was describing. His drawing was becoming more frantic.

"What is it?" Renai asked. Neither Elise or Specs responded. Renai walked over to them and grabbed the sketchbook from Specs. Renai saw the drawing of a demon looking creature with a red and black face, similar to the one Lorraine saw earlier. Renai ran to the light switch and turned on the lights, but nothing was there.

* * *

 

"I'm not sure if you're ready to hear this yet but unfortunately I can't waste anymore time easing you into it" Elise said. They were all back in the living room with Renai and Josh on the couch, and Jessie standing with Specs and Tucker. "I want you to know that this is what I believe and it may contradict a previous medical diagnoses but you called me here and I'm taking that as an acceptance of my readings. Yes?"

"Go on" Renai urged

"Your son isn't in a coma. Falling off a ladder had nothing to do with this. His physical body is here, but his spiritual body is not. The reason these disturbances followed you into a new home, is because it's not the house that's haunted. It's your son"

"I don't understand"

"Have you ever heard of astral projection?"

"Yes. Out of body experiences or something"

"I like to call them travelers" Elise said. Jessie looked towards Josh and noticed a troubled look on his face. "You see, these are people with the ability to leave their physical body and travel to different places in astral form. Now Dalton, he is a very accomplished astral projector. He's been doing it in his sleep for a long time. He has been since he was very young. He's not afraid because he think they're dreams, and it's that very lack of fear that has lead him to travel too far, and become lost"

"Lost? Lost where?" Renai asked

"In a place that I call The Further"

"What does that mean?"

"The Further is world farther than beyond our own, yet it's all around us. A place without time as we know it. It's a dark realm filled with the tortured souls of the dead. A place not meant for the living. That's where Dalton is, and the problem is that with his astral body gone, he's just left us with a physical body, an empty vessel. There are entities that know this because they can smell it. That's why they're gathered around him"

"Are these the things that I've been seeing?" Elise nodded.

"They're all trying to get inside of his physical body simply because they crave life. The chance to live again, but there are other entities who are malevolent and have a more insidious agenda. Then, there is this" Elise held up the drawing of the demon. "A demon who seeks Dalton's body for one reason. To cause pain to others. He is so desperate to possess Dalton and he is the closest of all the entities to getting inside him"

"What do you mean the closest?"

"These entities, they can't just walk into the bodies of the living any time they please. To cross over from their realm, it takes time and it take energy, but the longer that Dalton's astral body is kept away from his physical body, the weaker the link gets, the easier it is to possess him"

"Is there anything we can do to bring Dalton back?"

"There's something we could try. It's a little unorthodox but I would need your complete trust"

"No, no. I'm sorry but this has gone on too far" Josh said.

"No, honey please. You said that you would give her a chance" Renai said

"I have given her a chance, honey but I can't have someone coming into our home and telling us the reason that our son is in a coma is because his soul floated off in another dimension" That's when Jessie stepped in front of him.

"You let her come all the way over here and don't even consider what she's saying?" Jessie said

"I did this to help make Renai feel at ease, and if it worked great. I've listened to the dog and pony show" Josh referred to Specs and Tucker. Jessie gave them both a sympathetic look. Josh continued on. "I've seen the drawings, but to bring Dalton into it, no"

"Then why is our son still in a coma? Why won't the doctors tell us what's wrong with him?" Renai asked

"When did the voice of reason become the bad guy here? Can't you see, both of you, you want to believe"

"Josh, the reason I believe Renai is because she needs someone to believe her, and don't you even bring up the fact that you moved houses for her" Jessie said

"Jessie, I'm sorry but this is dangerous and exploitative. You guys come into the home of a sick child and you make some tenuous connection between him and the images my wife is seeing, and voila. Tears validate your power, thank you that'll be six hundred dollars please" Josh said. He went over to the door and opened it, indicating he wanted Elise, Specs and Tucker to leave.

"I'll walk you three out" Jessie offered. As she walked out the door, she gave Josh a disappointed yet angry glare.

* * *

Jessie helped make sure that Specs and Tucker had everything packed up.

"Is your brother always that stubborn?" Tucker asked

"More or less. This whole thing has just been really hard for him. I don't think he knows how to process it" Jessie said.

"We can imagine. It was nice meeting you Jessie" Specs said.

"You too. Before you do go, I want you to have this" Jessie gave Specs a small piece of paper. "My number is on there. Feel free to call me anytime" She gave him a wink before she went back into the house. Specs stared at the door in a daze before Tucker cleared his throat, bringing Specs back into reality.

"I think she likes me" Specs said, a proud smile creeping onto his face.

"Of course she does, otherwise she wouldn't have given you her number" Tucker said.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josh has changed his mind about letting Elise help. Elise, Specs and Tucker return to the Lambert residence and have a seance to try and bring Dalton back.
> 
> Will Dalton find his way back? Or will an evil entity get in the way?

Josh had changed his mind, and accepted Elise's help. Elise, Specs and Tucker went back to the house later that night. They all sat around a small table set up in Dalton's room for a seance. Renai and Josh were on one side of the table, Elise and Specs were on the other with Jessie seated in between Josh and Specs. Tucker was standing off to the side.

"What's most important is that you realize no two attempts are the same. I will be completely honest with you about the results, and if no dialogue is established, I will tell you" Elise explained.

"These still cameras are rigged to pick up changes in the atmosphere, electrical or temperature-wise. Don't be alarmed if they go off" Tucker said

"You'll see things you don't understand. Confusing things. Do not question them and do not speak in any way. I want you to know that whatever I say when I'm in tune is going to be at a very low volume and you won't hear any of it. Steven's going to write it all down. He's going to repeat it for me. Dim the lights please" Tucker turned off the lights and Specs lit the lantern that was on the table. Tucker placed a device resembling a gas mask on Elise's head with a tube in place where the mouth would be. Specs put on a pair of headphones, which Tucker connected to Elise's mask via a tube.

"We are calling out to you Dalton. Tell us you're safe. Tell us where you are. Dalton, can you hear us? Answer us" Specs repeated after Elise. There was silence and then a flash of light. Elise started talking again while Specs repeated and wrote down what she said. "Who's there? Dalton it's your mother, father and your aunt. We've been searching for you. Where are you?" Specs wrote in his book again. "I can't see in here. Dalton, you don't need to see. Follow my voice. Follow my voice Dalton. Dalton, why aren't you talking any more?" Specs wrote down more words. "If they hear me, they'll hurt me. Who will hurt you?" There was another flash of light. "Who will hurt you Dalton?" Followed by two flashes of light. Specs started writing again.

"The man with fire on his face. Dalton, can you find your way out. There is no way out. Follow my voice Dalton. Follow my voice. Be quiet. They'll hear you. They won't hear me Dalton. Follow my voice. They heard you" Specs flipped the page so he could continue writing. "Oh god mommy, daddy and auntie. Help me" Specs repeated the phrase and continued to write it down. The camera was now nonstop flashing. Suddenly, all that stopped. "Dalton?" There was another moment of silence and Specs wrote again. "You bitch"

Elise started convulsing and Specs continued to write. The sentences were vulgar which meant that it was no longer Dalton they were speaking to. Elise let out a scream which made Specs take off the headphones. Elise stopped screaming and hear head dropped. Specs touched her arm. When Josh looked over at Dalton's bed, he noticed that he was gone.

"Dalton?" Josh said. Dalton was at the table. He brought his hand down to the table which made everyone fall backwards to the ground. Dalton threw the table across the room. Specs tried getting up but Dalton slapped him across the face, which sent him flying across the room. The long haired fiend started walking towards Renai and Josh while an arm grabbed onto Jessie.

"Jessie, get to the corner" Benny's voice whispered into her ear. She did what he asked and crawled into the corner of the room. Elise, who had taken her mask off at this point, approached Dalton and grabbed his head.

"Leave this vessel! Leave this vessel!" she repeated. Renai screamed when the long haired fiend grabbed her and held her against the wall. His tongue slithered out of his mouth and licked Renai's cheek. Jessie gave Benny a pleading look, asking him to help Renai. Josh had tried fighting the fiend off but unfortunately it was stronger than he was. Benny approached the fiend and pulled him away from Renai, sending him to the ground. Renai looked up to see the face of her saviour.

"Don't be scared of me" Benny said. He pointed at Jessie. "I'm her friend. I'm trying to protect Dalton until he gets back to his body" Benny then disappeared.

"Leave this body! Turn on the lights!" Elise continued on, trying to get the evil entity to leave Dalton's body. "Leave this body! Now!" When the lights turned on, all the chaos stopped and Dalton's body dropped to the ground.

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lorraine stops by to finally tell Josh and Jessie the truth about their childhood. Meanwhile, a moment between Jessie and Specs allows them to get closer to each other.
> 
> What is the truth that Lorraine shares? And is this the start of a relationship for Jessie and Specs?

Jessie was in the kitchen with Specs and Tucker. Tucker was looking through footage on his laptop while Jessie sat in front of Specs, holding some raw meat against his head. The two of them stared at each other, completely forgetting that Tucker was in the room with them.

"Is your head still hurting?" Jessie asked.

"Not as much as before. In fact, your presence alone makes it hurt less" Specs said. Jessie smiled at his compliment and put the meat down on the counter. "Jessie?"

"Yes?"

"You're so pretty that it's almost ghostly"

"Are you saying that I have this spectral beauty to me?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying" There was a moment of silence between the two before Jessie started leaning in. Specs closed his eyes in anticipation but before she could close the gap between the two, Tucker spoke.

"Three cameras around the clock. We got nothing. But I did find this on the video" he said. He took the video camera and presented the footage to Jessie and Specs. It was footage of Dalton. "See that? I went through it frame by frame by frame" In one of the frame's, the Lip-Stick face demon was behind Dalton, seemingly controlling him.

"Jessie?" She looked behind her and saw Renai. "Can we talk in private?" Jessie nodded and followed Renai out of the room. Specs eyes followed Jessie until she left the room and then he turned to look at Tucker.

"What?" Tucker asked.

"She was about to kiss me but then you ruined the moment" Specs said.

* * *

Renai and Jessie found themselves in Jessie's bedroom.

"What's going on Renai?"

"Back in Dalton's room, when whatever that thing was attacked me, I was saved by someone. He pointed at you and said he was your friend, and that he was protecting Dalton. Who is he Jessie?"

"Well, you remember that one night I fell asleep in the kitchen, I was saying the name Benny and you asked me who that was?" Jessie asked. Renai nodded. "That was Benny. He was my imaginary friend when I was younger but he stopped showing up when I turned sixteen. I don't know why but he did. He just recently started visiting again when this thing with Dalton started"

"So Benny, he's not trying to hurt Dalton?"

"No. Like he told you, he's trying to protect Dalton. Yes, Benny comes from the same place where that thing came from, but he doesn't mean to harm any of us"

"Jessie! Mom is here!" Josh's voice called out.

* * *

"Mom?" Jessie said as soon as her and Renai entered the living room. "What are you doing here?"

"I asked your mother to come over. I called her immediately after the session. There's something we must talk about" Elise explained. Lorraine sat in the chair while Jessie, Josh and Renai sat on the couch.

"The reason I knew to call Elise in this situation, the reason I know her so well is because I called her myself once. Years ago. To help you. Both of you" Lorraine explained

"What are you talking about mom?" Josh asked

"It's no accident that your son is a gifted traveller. The ability was handed down to him" Elise said

"By his father, and it's no surprise that his aunt would have it as well" Lorraine said

"Me? I can't do that" Josh asked

"Neither can I" Jessie said

"Josh, when you were about eight you suffered night terrors. Awful fits of pure fear. You were terrified of an old woman who used to come visit you at night. Jessie, you on the other hand, you were different. You were about five years old when you started telling me stories about a boy who would come visit you at night. You said he was like your guardian angel. You never had night terrors like you're brother did" Lorraine explained. Jessie and Josh both looked at each other, and then back to their mother. "I dismissed both of your stories. I told you two to grow up. Then one night, I saw the old woman for myself" Lorraine took out a box and handed it over to the pair of siblings. Josh opened it, revealing childhood pictures of him and Jessie.

All the pictures had something in common. They all had two figures. One figure was an old woman dressed in black and the other figure was always a boy who would look around the same age as Jessie did. Lorraine continued on. "At first I thought it was a camera problem, and then I saw them again. In each closer, she got closer but the boy, he seemed like he was trying to protect both of you. Unfortunately, he could never stop the woman from getting closer and closer. Finally, I was so frightened that I called Elise"

"Do you two remember any of this?" Renai asked.

"I always remembered Benny. I was always able to see him and he said he was trying to protect us from something. He never mentioned what. Josh, do you remember?" Jessie asked

"No. I don't" he said

"Jessie never had much experience with astral projection. Her guardian angel prevented her from doing so. You on the other hand Josh, suppressing your memory, and the ability to astral project was the only way to stop her from getting into you, but in the back of your mind, you're still afraid to have your picture taken, aren't you? You're afraid for your sister to have her picture taken" Elise said

"I kept those photos hidden from you two ever since" Lorraine said

"I advised Lorraine to hide them. To stop taking yours and Jessie's pictures. To just let you forget"

"Who is she?" Josh asked

"A parasite. She befriended your astral body, and then drew you into The Further just as Dalton has been drawn out"

"I'm so sorry Josh" Lorraine said

"I didn't want to make you remember all this. I do it for the sake of your son. Your son is out there. And you are the only one that can bring him back. With what we saw tonight, I would say he doesn't have that much time left to wait for you" Elise said

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josh agrees to go into The Further to rescue Dalton. When he arrives, he finally meets Benny, who finally reveals who he really is.
> 
> Will Josh successfully rescue Dalton? And just exactly who is Benny?

Josh had agreed to go into The Further to rescue Dalton. Jessie stood off to the side while Renai spoke to Josh.

"Jess?" Benny's voice spoke. She looked over and saw her friend. "I need you to know that as soon as Josh has crossed over, I'll be waiting for him and I'll help him find Dalton"

"That's very kind of you Benny. I just have a question. Why after all these years have you tried protecting us? What is it about my family?" Jessie asked.

"I feel like if I told you, you wouldn't believe me. I don't protect you, Josh, Dalton or even Renai just by random, you know"

"Please, just tell me"

"Maybe afterwards. Josh wants to talk with you, and make sure to tell him that I'll be there" Jessie nodded and Benny kissed her forehead before he faded away. Jessie walked over to her brother.

"Promise me that you'll come back. Promise me you'll come back with Dalton" Jessie said.

"I promise Jess. Have I ever once broken a promise to you?" Josh said. Jessie flashed a smile as tears began staining her cheeks. It was true. Every time Josh made a promise to Jessie, he always kept it. Jessie wrapped her arms around Josh.

"I love you Josh"

"I love you too Jess" Josh kissed her forehead and they pulled away from the hug.

"There's one more thing you should know. Once you're on the other side, Benny will be waiting for you. He's going to help you. I know you may not believe that---" Jessie was cut off.

"Jessie, I do believe you"

* * *

Josh sat in the chair and Elise was seated right in front of him. Jessie herself was quite nervous about Josh going into The Further, but she knew that Benny would try to keep him safe. She was in between Specs and Renai. The two girls were holding each other's hands. Jessie's other hand had found its way into Specs' hand.

"Remember why you're travelling, and keep one foot in this world. Do not draw attention to yourself. If they realize you are not one of them, they will come for your body in the physical world. You ready?" Elise said

"Yeah. I don't know what I'm ready for" Josh said. There was a metronome placed beside Elise. The freed the arm so that it was now moving back and forth.

"Close your eyes Josh, take a deep breath and relax" Josh followed Elise's instructions. "With each breath, let the life around you fade into the background. Just listen to the ticking of the metronome. Focus on the spot in the center of your forehead. The universe is deathless. It's deathless because have no finite self it stays infinite. A sound man by not advancing himself, stays the further ahead of himself"

After Elise spoke, there was silence minus the ticking of the metronome. Josh woke up. "It's useless. I don't know what I'm doing" He got off the chair but when he turned around, his physical body was still there. Elise was still sitting in front of him.

"Now you're outside. Let my voice be your guide, keep a steady stride, into The Further you go" Elise's voice echoed. She faded away, leaving Josh on his own.

"You did it Josh. You crossed over" a voice spoke. Josh turned around and noticed a man. He looked eerily similar to Jessie. "You probably know who I am right?"

"You're Benny. Jessie's friend. She told me you'd be here" Josh said

"I'm not just her friend Josh. There's a reason I've developed an attachment to this family. It's because I'm apart of it. Your mother never told you or Jessie, but there was another Lambert child. Unfortunately, he died as soon as he was born. That child was Jessie's twin brother. That child was your younger brother. That child was me, Benjamin Lambert"

 

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josh and Benny venture into The Further in an attempt to find Dalton.
> 
> Will they succeed? Or will there be obstacles that get in the way?

"So, the reason you've attached yourself to Jessie is because you're her twin brother?" Josh asked.

"Yes. All these years, even when I was young, I was trying to protect her and I tried protecting you as well. Now I'm here, trying to protect Dalton. Come on, let's go find him" Benny said. He opened a door which revealed two lanterns. Benny took one for himself and gave the other one to Josh. "Stay close to me, and like Elise said don't draw attention to yourself" They went through the door and into the dark.

"If you died at birth, how are you the same age as Jessie?"

"A part of me is still alive with her. Just as long as she stays alive, I will age just as she will" The two of them continued to wander around when they saw a boy.

"Dalton" Josh said. Dalton had run away, and the two brothers followed after him. Only it wasn't Dalton. The boy pointed to his right. He was pointing to the previous house. Josh and Benny began to approach it.

* * *

Back in the living room, Jessie had heard a voice echo in her head. She closed her eyes and she listened to the voice again with much more clarity.

"Josh is here Jessie" Benny's voice echoed in her ears as if she was in a tunnel. Benny's statement was confirmed when Elise spoke.

"He's in" she said. Jessie's eyes opened up again.

"You okay Jessie?" Specs asked her with a whisper. She turned to look at him, and reassured him with a smile and a gentle squeeze of his hand.

* * *

The pair of brothers entered the house. Josh attempted to call out to his son, but there was no answer. A figure in a white dress walked by and began walking up the stairs.

"Hello? Wait" Josh said. He walked ahead of Benny and began following the figure. Benny followed after him. Once they were upstairs, a door opened and they could hear weeping. The two entered the room. The weeping came from a woman who was hiding behind one of the open doors.

"Hello? I'm looking for my son Dalton" Josh attempted to communicate with the woman. There was the sound of a child's laughter. Benny continued on forward with Josh continuing to follow him. A new sound had drawn their attention. It was the sound of someone whistling. It lead the two of them back down the stairs.

In the living room, was a family of three. A man and a younger woman were sitting at the couch while an older woman was standing behind an ironing board. They all were eerily still. Josh looked closely at the faces of the man and woman on the couch. When he got a look at the older woman, it seemed more like a man wearing makeup and dressed like a woman. He blinked which startled Josh.

"Josh, we should keep going" Benny said. They went into the dining room where the clicking of a shotgun could be heard. In the dining room, was another young woman holding the shotgun. Josh tried talking with her.

"Where is my son? Tell me where my son is, please" he asked. There were three shots coming from the living room, and the woman in the dining room had suddenly vanished. Josh and Benny went back into the living room. The woman with the shotgun stood in front of the three people from earlier. They were sitting like dead bodies on the couch. The sound of a door opening averted both Josh and Benny's attention for a moment, and when they looked forward, the four people from the living room were in front of them.

"Josh, up the stairs. Now!" Benny said. Josh did what Benny asked and began running up the stairs. As soon as Josh made it up to the top, the attic door opened. When he made it up to the top, there was a red door. "That's where Dalton is"

Josh approached the red door but as soon as he was one step away, The Long Haired Fiend appeared in front of him and attacked him. Benny tried to help Josh but the Fiend had become somewhat stronger from last time. Benny was knocked to the ground.

* * *

In the real world, Josh's body started convulsing.

"What's happening to him?" Lorraine asked. Renai kneeled herself beside Josh and held onto him. Jessie stood up and wrapped herself around Specs. His arms wrapped around her, in an attempt to comfort her.

"Help him Elise, please" Renai asked

"You're stronger than them Josh. You can beat them. You're stronger, you are the one alive" Elise said.

* * *

"Get away from me!" Josh said when he felt this wave of strength come over him. He pushed The Fiend and sent him flying. Josh held out his hand for Benny to take. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. He's always been a problem" Benny said. He looked towards the door, and then at Josh. "Let's go in and get Dalton"

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time is running out, and Josh and Dalton must return to their bodies before someone else does.
> 
> Will they make it back? And will this nightmare finally be over?

Josh and Benny went through the red door which lead them into a hallways with candles along the walls. They continued on forward until they finally found Dalton.

"Dalton" Josh said.

"Daddy!" Dalton responded. Josh ran to his son and hugged him. "Uncle Benny, you did it. You brought daddy"

"I promised you I would Dalton. Let's get you out of these chains so you two can go back" Benny said. He kneeled beside Dalton and attempted to help Josh get the chains off. The song Tiptoe Through The Tulips started echoing in the background. "Josh, we need to get him out, and you two back to your bodies, now!"

Josh nodded and looked towards his son. "None of this is real, okay? This isn't real. None of this is real. We've got to go home, okay?" He successfully removed Dalton's chains.

"Dad, he's looking this way" Dalton said. Josh got up, and looked behind himself to see the Red-Faced Demon staring at the three of them. In a split second, the Demon appeared beside Josh and knocked him to the ground. The Demon started marching towards Josh as he attempted to get away. Benny grabbed Dalton and tried to keep him as far away from the Demon as possible. Once Josh had managed to get away from the Demon, he caught up with Benny and Dalton.

"Come on, you two. We need to hurry" Benny said. Josh picked up Dalton, while Benny picked up the lantern that was on the floor. Josh made sure to follow close behind Benny. They left the house and were in pure darkness, with the only light coming from the lantern. As they continued wandering, all the bad spirits of The Further found them.

* * *

Back in the living room, Josh's physical body was reacting. The house started to shake.

"He's made contact" Elise said. There was then a sudden smile on her face. "He found your son. I know it"

"Well then wake him up for god sake" Lorraine said.

"I can't. He needs to find us" Josh's body started shaking more violently, as well as the house.

"Please Elise, do something!" Renai begged. All the lights in the house went out.

"Renai, you must call out to him"

* * *

As Josh attempted to fight away the spirits, Renai's voice echoed.

"Follow my voice, Josh"

"Daddy, listen. I think it's mommy" Dalton said. Even with the spirits surrounding him, Josh managed to follow Renai's voice.

* * *

The house became calm. The silence was broken when a noise came from the kitchen. Specs turned on the flashlight that Tucker gave him, while Tucker turned on an even bigger flashlight. Specs went into the kitchen to investigate. He was in there for a few moments until he came out in a panic.

"There's something in there" he said.

"Steven, Jessie and Lorraine, go check on Dalton" Elise said. Specs grabbed Jessie's hand and led her up the stairs. Lorraine followed behind with a gentle grasp on her daughter's wrist. They entered Dalton's room, where he was still lying motionless in bed. Dalton's closet flew open and the spirits from The Further were inside it. Lorraine stayed near Dalton while Jessie and Specs ran to the closet and attempted to keep the door closed. Specs had his body pushed against the door as Jessie used all the strength she could muster to push the dresser in front of the door.

* * *

Josh, Benny and Dalton made it back to the house. Now all that was left to do was for Josh and Dalton to get back to their bodies. Josh tried opening the door but it wouldn't budge. He went around to the backdoor that brought them into the kitchen.

"Come on dad!" Dalton said when he was free from Josh. "Come on, we have to go!"

"I'm right behind you. Benny, make sure he gets back" Josh said.

"I will, then I'm coming back for you if you're still not in your body" Benny said. He proceeded to follow Dalton. Dalton was just about to enter his room when the Red-Faced Demon appeared. Dalton hid behind Benny, and then they retreated into an empty room. "Dalton, don't be afraid of him. You're stronger than he is. I'm not leaving you until you get back. I won't let him hurt you"

"Okay" Dalton replied. The Demon attempted to grab Dalton's feet from under the bed. Benny picked up Dalton and ran towards his room intent on getting Dalton back to his body.

* * *

Dalton's arm began to move. He had finally returned to his body. Lorraine lifted Dalton off the bed and brought him into the living room.

"I've got Dalton. He's awake" she announced.

"My boy. He's okay" Renai said. She hugged him as tightly as she could, never wanting to let go of him.

"You did it buddy" Josh said, having himself returned to his body. Jessie let out a sigh of relief and a smile. She let her head rest on Specs' shoulder. He smiled as he let his hand wrap around hers. Out of the corner of her eye, Jessie spotted Benny. He had a relieved smile and was staring at her.

"Thank you" she mouthed. He nodded at her before fading away.

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At last at seems like a happy ending for the Lamberts. Or is it?

Specs and Tucker were outside packing up their van. They began arguing about a book.

"Dude, I got some amazing shots. We're gonna write a book, and my photos are going to be the main selling point" Tucker said

"Not the main selling point but they will be important. They'll definitely be important" Specs said.

"A pictures worth a thousand words"

"Yeah but words are worth a thousand words too" Suddenly, Tucker nudged Specs with his arm and then motioned towards Jessie, who was walking towards them.

"I'm not going to let you two leave without saying goodbye" she said. First she hugged Tucker, and he returned it. Specs couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy.

"Jessie, you're an author. What do you think is more important? Words or pictures?" Tucker asked.

"Well, I write books that only require words but for you two, I'd recommend an even scale of both" Tucker gave Jessie a nod before he left Jessie and Specs alone.

"So, is there a chance that I'll ever see you again?" Specs asked.

"You still have my number, right?" Jessie asked, to which Specs replied with a nod. "All you have to do is call me, and I'll come see you"

"Great. I will definitely call you soon. Now, do I get a hug goodbye?"

"Specs" Jessie whispered, leaning in close to his face. "You get more than just a hug" With that, her lips were on his. Specs melted into the kiss with his hands landing on her waist. Their kiss only lasted for about thirty seconds (although it seemed like a lifetime to him).

"Wow" Was all that Specs could mutter out. Jessie gave him a smile before she retreated back into the house. Tucker once again appeared beside Specs, having witnessed their intimate moment.

"Looks like you've got yourself a girlfriend" Tucker said.

* * *

When Jessie went back into the house, Renai and Lorraine were in the kitchen with Dalton as he was pigging out on spaghetti. She however, continued on into the living room where Elise was.

"Elise?" Jessie said. Elise turned around and smiled at Jessie. The younger woman enveloped the older woman in a hug. "I wanted to thank you. If it wasn't for you, I don't think Dalton would be here anymore"

"Jessie, don't thank me. Thank your brother" Elise said

"Josh would be---"

"Not Josh, your other brother" Jessie gave Elise a puzzled look.

"I only have one brother"

"I'm surprised your mother never told you. Why do you think Benny has attached himself to you, and your family? It didn't happen by random"

"Elise, are you suggesting that Benny is my brother?"

"Not just your brother. He's your twin brother" Elise put her hand on Jessie's shoulder. "You should go talk to Lorraine"

* * *

That's what Jessie did. She went into the kitchen and asked to speak to Lorraine in private. The two of them found themselves in Jessie's room. They sat on her bed.

"Sweetheart, what's going on?" Lorraine asked.

"Mom, do Josh and I have a brother?" Jessie asked.

"I knew you'd find out eventually. Elise told you, didn't she?" Jessie responded with a nod. "I'm surprised Benny never told you. He's your twin brother, Benjamin Lambert. Unfortunately, he never survived birth. I was heartbroken but I was happy that I at least still had you. When we came home from the hospital, your father and I just told Josh that he had a little sister. We never once mention Benny to either you or Josh. When I started seeing him in the photos, I knew who he was right away. His face looked so much like yours, I knew that it was him"

"So, that's why I've been seeing him. That's why he's been protecting us. That's why he helped Josh find Dalton"

"I guess he never completely died. Physically he's not here, but spiritually he always will be. Even if you're the only one who can see him"

"She doesn't have to be the only one mom" Benny's voice said. Lorraine turned around and saw her youngest son. She got off the bed and started walking towards him. She put her hand on his cheek.

"Ben, you've become such a handsome man, but I don't understand. How have you managed to age?" Lorraine asked.

"Part of me is still alive with Jessie" he said. Lorraine shed a tear and hugged him.

"You know I never forgot about you. I've loved you ever since the day you were born"

"I know that mom. I love you too"

* * *

When Jessie was heading back to the living room, she heard Renai give a shriek. She joined her sister-in-law and that's when she saw Elise's dead body.

"Renai, what happened?" Jessie asked.

"I don't know! Where's Josh?" Renai asked. Jessie looked on the ground and saw the camera. She picked it up and looked at the photo. She nearly dropped the camera when she saw who was in the photo. It was the Old Woman from the childhood pictures of Josh and Jessie.

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's 1986 and Lorraine Lambert requires the help of Elise Rainier. Will she be able to help? Or will they open a doorway for the worst to come?

_1986_

At the Lambert household, there was a knock on the door. A young woman in her late twenties answered the door. On the other side was a woman who looked to be in her forties.

"Hi, I'm Elise. You must be Lorraine" the older woman said

"Yes. Nice to meet you. I'm sorry it's so late. My day job makes raising my son and daughter a night job" the younger woman said.

"Don't worry about it. In my line of work, things tend to happen when it gets dark" Elise said. Lorraine let Elise in. In the living room sat a man wearing a pair of headphones. Elise approached him. "Hi Carl"

"Elise, thank you for coming" Carl said. He and Elise hugged. "I didn't know what else to do, except call you"

"Oh, I understand. You had a big problem and you thought you'd make it my problem too, is that it?" Carl stammered, trying to find something to say. "I'm teasing! You know I'm always happy to help Carl"

"Would you like some coffee or tea?" Lorraine offered.

"No, thank you. I'd like to get started right away, if that's okay. Carl told me on the phone, it's your son who's the one infected, right?" Elise said.

"Yes, that's right. My son Josh"

"Something is following him. Carl added. At that moment, a young girl, about the age of six, came into the living room.

"Mommy! Mommy!" she said.

"Jessie, you're supposed to be in bed" Lorraine said.

"I'm thirsty. Can I have a glass of water?"

"Of course. Elise, this is my daughter Jessie. Jessie, this is Elise" Lorraine introduced. Jessie walked up to Elise and looked up at her.

"Are you here to help my brother?" Jessie asked

"Yes I am" Elise said, smiling down at her.

"Alright Jessie, let's get you that glass of water and then I want you off to bed" Lorraine said. Her and Jessie went into the kitchen. While Jessie was still in the kitchen, Lorraine came back with some photos. "I first noticed it about six weeks ago. Thought it was a camera problem, but then it became apparent it was more than that" Elise looked through the photos. She noticed two prominent figures in it. One was an old woman dressed in black, and the other was a boy Jessie's age.

"Who's the boy?" Elise asked

"His name is Benny. He's attached himself to Jessie. He's also Jessie's twin brother but he died at birth. I guess his spirit attached itself to her, but he's not the one I'm worried about"

"I interviewed Josh. He won't tell me anything. He's afraid" Carl said. He leaned in to whisper in Elise's ear. "I'm afraid too. There's something in this house. I can feel it. It doesn't want me here"

"May I meet him?" Elise asked

* * *

Lorraine made sure that Jessie was tucked into bed before they got started with Josh. Josh sat in front of a camera, while Elise was seated behind it.

"Hi Josh. I'm Elise. I would love to ask you some simple questions. Do you like living here?" Elise said

"Yeah, I guess" Josh said

"Are there a lot of kids your age in this neighborhood?"

"A few. One kid lives next door"

"That must be fun. Is there anything you don't like about living in this house?"

"I have bad dreams sometimes"

"What happens in your dreams?" Josh didn't answer. "I'd like to try something with you Josh, and I promise, it won't hurt"

* * *

There were candles lit around the room and Josh sat with his eyes closed. Elise set a metronome into motion.

"I want you to just relax. Listen to the ticking. Focus on it. Tune everything else out. Feel yourself getting sleepier. We are now inside your dream, Josh. Look around. What do you see?" Elise said.

"I see myself sleeping in bed" Josh said.

"Are you in your bedroom?"

"No"

"I'm somewhere dark. It's always dark here"

"Are you alone?"

"No. She's here"

"Who is she?"

"She's a friend. She visits me every night"

"Where is she? Right at this moment. Is she here in this house with us? I'd like to talk to her" Silence. Elise whispered something to Carl. "Okay. We're gonna play a little game Josh. It's called hot and cold. I'll walk around the house and you tell me if I'm getting warmer or colder"

* * *

Elise walked around the house carrying a walkie talkie. She entered the kitchen and heard Josh's voice.

"Cold" She made her way into the hallway between the living room and the staircase. "Warm" She began walking upstairs. She had found her way into the bedroom of Josh. "Warmer" Elise approached Josh's bed and looked under it. She heard the closet open. "Very warm" She started approaching the closet. "Hotter" She got even closer. "Very hot" Elise pushed away some of the clothes. "Please, get out of there"

"Who are you? What do you want?" Elise asked. When she reached out, something scratched her arm. Elise rushed out of the room, and down the stairs.

"What happened?" Lorraine asked

"I saw it once, and it's not a friend. It's a parasite. I've never felt such a malignant presence. It wants to be him. Miss Lambert, I think your son has a unique ability, a gift. When he sleeps at night, I think he's able to go places. See things. Things no living person is supposed to see. Only now, one of the dead has seen him too"

"Can you stop it?"

"I could take away his gift to suppress the memory of his ability"

"How would we do that?" Josh stood up from his chair.

"I'll show you" he said. With his eyes still closed, he walked into the hallway and pointed towards the front door. The door opened on it's own. Lorraine and Elise brough Josh back to the chair.

"Do whatever you have to. Make him forget" Lorraine said

 

 


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the death of Elise, The Lambert's are question by detectives and move in with Lorraine.
> 
> Are they finally at peace? Or are the hauntings far from over?

A day had passed since Elise died and the cops got involved. They questioned Josh, Renai and Jessie. When Jessie was questioned, she explained how Dalton was in a coma and weird things began happening. She explained how they moved, and how they hired Elise to help. Jessie knew the detective thought she was crazy, but she didn't really care.

"Miss Lambert, do you believe that your brother killed Elise?" Detective Sendal asked.

"Of course I don't. Josh isn't capable of doing such a thing" Jessie assured. Sendal placed a photo in front of her.

"Elise took this photo, seconds before she was killed. Can you tell me who that is in the picture?" he asked

"Renai said she saw a lot of apparitions"

"Are you telling me that this is a picture of a ghost? I'm not interested in ghosts, Miss Lambert. I'm interested in the living people who create them" Sendal placed another photo in front of her. "Elise has marks on her neck that were put there by human hands. I'll let you know if forensics matches those marks, to your brother's"

* * *

The family moved in with Lorraine so the police could investigate at their old house. Jessie took her stuff to her old bedroom. It was still covered in the posters and awards she got when she was a kid. She began to unpack when Renai knocked at her door.

"Are you feeling alright?" Renai asked as she sat on the bed.

"I'm fine. How are you holding up?" Jessie asked.

"I'm okay. I'm still a little shaken up over yesterday"

"Me too" Jessie could feel her phone vibrate. She opened it and saw that she had a text from an unknown number. There was an address followed by the text underneath it.

_Jessie, do you think you could come with Tucker and I tonight? I really need to see you -S_

_Of course. Pick me up at this address. See you later- J_

"Who was that?" Renai asked.

"Specs. He asked me to meet him tonight" Jessie responded. A smirk formed on Renai's face.

"So, is he your boyfriend now?"

"No. I think right now he just needs support from a friend"

* * *

It had gotten dark. Jessie had gotten another text from Specs saying that he and Tucker were outside.

"Where are you headed off to?" a voice startled Jessie. She turned around and saw Josh.

"Josh, you scared me, but if you must know, I'm off to meet Specs and Tucker" Jessie explained.

"Really? This late?"

"Josh, please don't this. This isn't some random guy you've never met before. This is Specs and Tucker"

"Alright, just don't stay out too late"

"Fine. I've got my phone on if you need to call me" Jessie gave Josh a hug and a kiss on the cheek before she left the house. At the end of the driveway, was the familiar looking van and her two friends.

"Hey guys" she greeted.

"Jessie, it's good to see you again" Tucker said, before engulfing her in a hug. When they pulled away, Jessie's attention was turned to Specs. Her arms were quickly wrapped around him.

"I missed you" she muttered to him.

"You saw me yesterday" Specs said. Jessie let go of him and smiled.

"I know" She leaned in and kissed him. Specs' hands found themselves resting on Jessie's lower back, while her arms were wrapped around his neck. Both of them seemed to forget that Tucker was even there.

"Guys, when you're done making out, we should probably go" Tucker said. This made the two pull away from each other.

"Right, let's go" Specs said. He grabbed Jessie's hand and climbed in the van with her, with Tucker getting in shortly after.

 


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jessie, Specs and Tucker decide to visit Elise's house. While they're there, they make in interesting discovery.
> 
> What do they find? And will it explain why the hauntings are still happening?

Jessie, Specs and Tucker went to Elise's house. Tucker grabbed a framed photo and looked at it.

"You'd think all the ghosts we've seen would make me feel better that Elise is gone. I mean, we have first hand knowledge that there's something out there beyond death. It's not helping" Specs said. Jessie could feel him squeezing her hand but she didn't mind.

"Turns out the living version of someone is always better" Tucker said. Just then, the sound of a creaking door filled the silence. The three of them looked to see that the door to Elise's reading room opened.

"She never left the reading room unlocked" The three of them approached the room, only to find that there were a set of stairs. They all looked down the stairs, but all they could see was darkness.

"You two go first" Tucker said. Specs glanced towards the dark room.

"Hunter. Ninja. Bear" he said. Specs and Tucker faced each other while Jessie stood off to the side, watching them with an amused smirk.

"Hunter. Ninja. Bear" they chanted, and did their actions. Specs chose bear while Tucker chose ninja.

"That's bullshit" Tucker said. He began descending down the stairs. "How does a bear beat a goddamn ninja?"

"Superior sense of smell, my friend" Specs said. He grabbed Jessie's hand and they followed Tucker down the stairs.

"Hunter ninja bear?" Jessie whispered to Specs.

"It's our version of rock paper scissors" he replied. They entered Elise's reading room. "You know, I don't think we should be down here" Tucker turned on the tv that was in the room, with Specs turning it back off shortly after. Tucker entered the doorway to another room. "That's a private room, you should stay out of there" He then crashed into a bunch of VHS tapes.

"My nuts" Tucker groaned in pain. Jessie entered the room and helped Tucker pick up the various tapes while Specs stood in the doorway and watched them. Jessie had found one VHS tape that peaked in interest.

"Interesting" she mumbled to herself.

"What is it?" Tucker asked. She revealed the front of the tape to them which was labeled Lambert, Josh (1986).

* * *

In the reading room, they popped in the tape. The video was a bit grainy, but they could clearly make out the twelve year old Josh.

"Amateur framing. Just horrible" Tucker commented. Specs shushed him. They fast forwarded to tape to the point when Josh got up from his chair, and spoke to something that wasn't there. "Who the hell is he talking to?"

"Wait, pause it" Jessie asked. Tucker paused the tape. Considering the quality of the video, she could make out the shape of two figures in the room with Josh. "Look at that" She pointed to the two figures.

"Do you know who he was talking to?" Specs asked.

"I have no idea"

 


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next morning, Dalton recalls a bad dream and Josh begins acting strangely. Meanwhile, Lorraine and Jessie turn to Specs and Tucker for help.
> 
> Did Dalton's dream really happen? And why is Josh behaving so strange?

The next morning, Renai and Jessie were in the kitchen. When Dalton came in, he sat down at the table.

"Hey honey. What do you want for breakfast?" Renai asked

"I don't care" Dalton sad.

"Is everything okay?" Jessie asked

"I had a bad dream"

"What was it about?" Renai asked

"I was in my bed sleeping. Grandma walked in. I could see someone else in my room. I tried to wake myself up. It took a while, but I did it. I heard voices in the hallway. It was daddy, and he was talking to someone. Is there something wrong with daddy?" Renai and Jessie looked up at each other, concern on both of their faces.

"No. He's just been through a lot"

"You have nothing to worry about" Jessie assured.

"I'm going to take the boys to school" Josh said. He stood in the doorway. "You two should rest. Relax a bit. Come on son" Jessie furrowed her eyebrows and stared at her brother. Something about him seemed...off.

* * *

Later in the day, Jessie went with Lorraine to see Specs and Tucker. Jessie still couldn't shake the thought off Josh out of her head. Something wasn't right with him.

"Are you okay Lorraine? You said something was wrong" Specs asked

"Whatever it was that killed Elise, whatever it was that was haunting my family, it's not done with us" Lorraine explained.

"Mom, did you see something?" Jessie asked

"Yes. Last night, I saw someone. I need your help"

* * *

The four of them went down into the reading room.

"Do you remember the first time Elise visited your house? To talk to Josh when he was a boy?" Specs asked.

"No, I did a lot to try to forget that part of my life until recently, and Jessie she was really young. She wouldn't remember" Lorraine said

"Elise hypnotized him and asked him a series of questions. I digitized the actual footage taken from that night" Tucker said. He opened a file on the laptop that was sitting on the table. "I cropped and lightened the image. Jessie was the one who found this" The image of the tape became clearer and the two figures had an eerie resemblance to Josh and Jessie.

"Is that you and Josh?" Specs asked Jessie.

"How is that possible?" Lorraine asked.

"We don't know"

"If only Elise were here to help us" Specs and Tucker looked at each other, then looked at Lorraine and Jessie. They then glanced at each other.

"Okay, what are you two you thinking?" Jessie asked.

"I think I might know" Lorraine said.

 


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the help of Carl, an old friend of Elise and Lorraine's, Jessie, Lorraine, Specs and Tucker attempt to get in contact with Elise.
> 
> Will they make contact? And what does Elise have to tell them?

Specs called an old friend of Lorraine and Elise's to help them. There was a knock at the door and Specs answered it. It was Carl.

"Carl, I'm Specs. I'm the guy you spoke to on the phone. Come in" Specs said. Carl entered the house.

"Hi Carl. It's been a long time" Lorraine said, hugging him.

"Yeah. Looks like I did the aging for the both of us" Carl said. He looked towards Jessie. "Jessie, I haven't seen you since you were a young girl. You've grown into such a beautiful woman"

"Thank you" Jessie replied with a smile.

"You met Specs, this is Tucker" Lorraine said, motioning towards him. Carl and Tucker shook hands.

"Elise talked about you a lot. Said you were the second best person she ever worked with" Tucker said.

"Second best. That's generous. I've been meaning to catch up with her, to call her but I always kept putting it off till the next week, you know. Now she's gone" Carl said.

"Well maybe this is your chance to say your goodbyes" Lorraine said.

"Specs told me on the phone. I'm not sure we should---"

"We have questions that need answering and the only person we could think of to ask is Elise. Please help us Carl. Help us contact her"

* * *

In Elise's reading room, they all sat in a circle around the table. Carl emptied of bag of dice with letters on them on the table.

"Everybody has their own way of making contact. This is mine. I ask questions and the spirits answer with the dice. You look for the words in the letters" Carl explained. He gathered the dice and put them into a cup. "Elise, we're calling out to you. Tell us if you are there" He emptied the cup but there were no words. He gathered the dice again and put them back in the cup. "Elise, please talk to us. Give us a sign that you can hear my voice" He emptied the cup again but there were still no words among the dice. "I supposed I should have explained. This isn't an exact science. Sometimes contact can't be made" He gathered the dice in his hands. "Elise, please tell me. Are you here?" He rolled the dice onto the table. The lights flickered off and then on, and the tv turned itself on.

"I'll go get the---" Specs said but Carl stopped him.

"No. Do not break the circle" Carl said. Under the table, Jessie's hand had made its way into Specs'. Within the pile of dice, the word 'yes' was visible. Carl gathered the dice again. "Elise, we need to know who killed you. Tell us" He rolled the dice. _She did._ "What does she want?"

"I see it. K-I-L-L" Tucker said. Carl rolled the dice again.

"Where is she?" _Hiding._ "Where is she hiding?" No answer. "Elise, tell us where to find your killer" _Our Lady Angls._

"Our Lady Angls? What does that mean?" Specs asked

"It's angels. Our lady of the angels" Lorraine said.

"Mom, wasn't that the hospital you used to work at?" Jessie asked.

"Yes, sweetheart, it was"

 


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While exploring the Lady of Angels hospital, Lorraine reflects on the time she knew a patient.
> 
> Who is this patient? And does he have anything to do with the Lambert's hauntings?

Later that night Jessie, Lorraine, Specs, Tucker and Carl all went to the hospital where Lorraine used to work. Each one of them had a flashlight as they explored the east wing.

"Most of my work was in this east wing. It's all closed now. Now only the ghosts are left" Lorraine said.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Jessie asked

"Elise led us here for a reason. Just forget the actual building, forget the doctors and nurses you worked with, forget the patients, everyone" Carl said. Breaking away from the group, Jessie and Specs went into a room they passed by. Jessie shrieked when she stepped on an old baby doll and it made a noise. Her hand grasped Specs', and she kept a hard grip. She looked down at the doll and then to Specs.

"If there's two things that scare me, it's abandoned buildings and dolls. The two combined is beginning to freak me out" she said

"I promise to stay by your side" Specs said

"Good because I'm not letting your hand go until we leave" They regrouped with the others, eventually stopping at another room. Carl stood in the doorway of the room.

"What is it?" Lorraine asked him. He suddenly stepped back from the doorway.

"In there" Carl said. They all went into the room. "What was in this room?"

"This was in ICU. I remember it very well"

* * *

_1986_

Lorraine walked down the hallway with Josh on one side of her, and Jessie on the other. Lorraine was holding her daughter's hand so she wouldn't just wander off.

"So are we doing pizza night tonight?" Lorraine asked

"How about mac n cheese?" Josh asked

"Yeah, mac n cheese!" Jessie agreed

"Mac n cheese. Okay, that can be done" Lorraine said. They entered one of the hospital rooms. "Keep quiet, don't touch anything, and Josh, keep an eye on your sister." Lorraine let go of Jessie's hand, and like the well behaved child she is, she sat on one of the chairs in the room. "How is he?" Lorraine asked the nurse that was taking care of an old man.

"His vital signs are stabilizing but he's still unresponsive" the nurse responded. Josh started looking around, inspecting the mission beside the old man's bed. When Josh turned around, the old man was sitting up and tried strangling him. The nurse and Lorraine tried pulling the old man of off Josh, while Jessie screamed and ran out of the room. A few more doctors came in, allowing Lorraine to grab Josh and run out after her daughter.

* * *

A few days after the incident with the old man and Josh, Lorraine stepped into the elevator. The old man got in with her.

"Parker, you should be resting. You shouldn't be out of bed" Lorraine said. She didn't receive a response from him. "Listen, I want to apologize for my son the other day. He was being a nosy kid" The elevator opened and Parker stepped out. Lorraine got out as well and walked up to the reception desk. "Hey Hillary? Why is the patient from room 104 up and walking around?"

"What do you mean?" Hillary asked

"The patient from ICU, Parker Crane?"

"What do you mean walking around?"

"I just rode down in the elevator with him. He should be in bed with the monitor---"

"Lorraine, that patient died yesterday morning. He jumped to his death" Lorraine looked back in the direction of the elevator, trying to grasp the fact that she saw a dead person walking around.

 


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lorraine, Carl, Jessie, Specs and Tucker go the home of Parker Crane to find some answers. While there, the latter three discover a child.
> 
> Will they find what they need? And who is the child?

"Why was he here in the first place?" Carl asked

"He tried to castrate himself" Lorraine said. After that, they continued searching the hospital, finding themselves in the records room. Jessie was looking through a set of folders, when she heard a voice echo in her head.

_He has him Jessie._

Jessie knew right away that it was Benny's voice. She didn't say anything. Instead she closed her eyes and spoke in her head.

_Who has who, Benny?_

"Jessie?" Specs spoke, knocking Jessie back into reality. She opened her eyes and looked at him. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything is fine. Why?" she answered.

"You were standing there with your eyes closed"

"I promise, I'm fine" Jessie assured Specs, placing her hand on his arm. Tucker joined them with a folder in his hands.

"Yes we can" he said. He placed the folder on one of the filing cabinets and everyone crowded around, looking at the file. "Is that our man?"

"Parker Crane, that's him" Lorraine said.

"His address. There's something there" Carl said.

_Jessie, you shouldn't go to his home. He has him._

_What are you talking about Benny?_

_It's Parker Crane. He has---_

"Sweetheart, are you alright?" Lorraine asked.

"Yes mom, I'm fine" Jessie assured.

_Let me go with you to the house. I can help you find what you're looking for._

"Are you sure?"

"Yes"

_Alright, just meet us there._

* * *

Parker Crane's house was boarded up. Tucker smashed one of the windows open.

"Look, they left the window open" Tucker said. He broke the boards and climbed on through. Everyone else followed suit.

"Do you feel something?" Lorraine asked Carl.

"Let's just say this house is not a place where many good things have happened" Carl said.

"Probably a lot of good collectibles in here" Specs said. They began to explore the house. Jessie nearly felt her heart jump out of her chest when a hand grasped her wrist. Turns out it was only her twin brother.

"Benny, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" she scolded him in a whisper.

"Sorry. I need you to stay close to me. This house is bad news and that's why I didn't want you to come here" Benny said.

"Fine, then walk in front of me if you're so worried about me" Jessie said. Benny got in front of Jessie, acting as her personal shield. A horrid smell stung at Jessie's nostrils and she wasn't the only one who could smell it.

"What's that smell?" Specs asked

"Specs, Jessie, upstairs" Tucker said. Specs and Tucker went up the stairs, and Jessie pushed Benny in the direction of the stairs. "After you"

* * *

Once upstairs, Jessie paired with Specs as Tucker went off to explore by himself. Benny was now behind Jessie rather than in front of her. She wasn't watching where she was going, and walked right into one of the old baby carriages.

"Shit" she muttered, and pushed it away from her.

"You okay?" Specs asked.

"Yeah, just wasn't expecting that" Jessie looked over her shoulder, looking at Benny but to Specs, she was looking at no one. "You could've warned me!"

"How was I supposed to know that was there?" Benny asked

"I don't know, I'm just feeling freaked out right now"

"Umm Jessie? Who are you talking to?" Specs asked

"He can't see you, can he?" Jessie whispered to Benny, who in response shook his head. "I'll explain later. Maybe when we're not in a creepy, old house" Specs approached a closed door and tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge.

"I think it's stuck" Specs said

"Let me try something. You're gonna need to give me room" Jessie said. Specs stood off to the side while Jessie stood within a certain distance in front of the door. She extended her leg and kicked open the door. It was a bedroom.

"I'm guessing this might be Parker Crane's bedroom" Tucker said once he joined them.

"It seems a little girly for a boy's bedroom, don't you think? I mean look at this dollhouse" Specs said

"What? I had a dollhouse. This is a Rhode Island red. Come on, let's get out of here"

"Yeah. I agree with Tucker on that one" Jessie said. The rocking horses behind them started moving behind them. The three of them turned around.

"This is my room!" a boy's voice said. He ran behind them, making them turn around again. They kept backing up until they hit the bed. Jessie peeked over her shoulder. She looked forward again, and gripped onto Specs and Tucker's arms. "Guys, turn around and please tell me I'm not the only one who sees a girl sitting on the bed" The three of them turned around slowly.

"You can't be in here. If she sees you, she'll make me kill you" the girl whispered. Her head turned around and it wasn't actually a little girl. It was a boy.

 

 


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jessie, Specs, Tucker, Lorraine and Carl make a discovery about Parker Crane.
> 
> What do they find out? And will it explain why he went after Josh?

There was a crash coming from downstairs. Jessie, Specs and Tucker rushed downstairs only to find that a chandelier had fallen on the floor, Lorraine and Carl on the ground beside it.

"Are you two okay?" Jessie asked. She gave Lorraine her hands to help her up, while Specs did the same for Carl.

"What happened?" Specs asked

"Give me a light over here" Carl said. He walked over to the table where the dice were. He took the dice in his hands. "You're not Elise, are you?" The dice landed on the table. _No_. All the doors in the house started closing. "Who are you?" _Mater Mortis_. "Mother of death"

"What does that mean?"

"It's literal. It simply means the mother of Parker Crane" There was a noise coming from near the bookshelf that was in the room. Tucker knocked on the wall behind it, and there was a knock in response. Tucker knocked again and so did the entity. Specs and Tucker moved the bookcase out of the way, and opened the door that was behind it. There was another foul stench. Inside the room seemed to be people sitting except they were all covered by sheets. Jessie got curious so she approached one of them and lifted the sheet to take a peek. She was immediately greeted by a vomit inducing musk. She fell to the floor as she wretched.

"Jessie!" Specs said. He grabbed her hand and helped her stand up. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, that just made me feel sick" Jessie said.

"Don't touch anything else" Tucker warned. Holding onto each other's hands, Jessie and Specs continued on forward. They had found chest. Jessie had opened it, revealing a bunch of newspaper articles.

"Guys, over here" Jessie said.

"Bride in Black. I know that name" Specs said. Him and Jessie started looking through all of the newspaper articles.

"What you guys got?" Tucker asked

"One of the victims managed to elude the killer. Police said she described her attacker as an old woman dressed in a black wedding gown and veil. Bride in black claims his fifteenth victim"

"Victims" Lorraine said, referring to the dead people under all the sheets.

"Explains why the smell was so bad" Jessie said. She turned around and came face to face with a mannequin head wearing a black veil.

"Wait a second" Carl said. He reached out and touched the veil. "Parker wore that dress to commit his murders. It was his disguise. He killed for his mother because she forced him to. He wanted his childhood back. That's why he went after your son"

 


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carl and Jessie visit Josh to try to get Parker Crane to leave his body, only it doesn't go as well as they plan.

Lorraine was tasked with getting Renai out of the house so that Carl, Jessie, Specs and Tucker could do what they need to do to get rid of Parker Crane. The four of them were in Specs and Tucker's van. Tucker attached microphones to both Carl and Jessie.

"We'll hear everything. Signal out if you need us. The codeword is quesadilla" Tucker said.

"I thought we agreed on unicorn as the codeword" Specs said

"Quesadilla is easier to bring up in conversation"

"Not at all. How would you bring up a quesadilla in a conversation?"

"It's quesadilla time"

"Guys" Carl interrupted. They stopped bickering and looked at him. "It doesn't matter. Jessie and I will let you know if we need you"

"It does matter" Specs whispered to himself. Tucker placed a syringe in front of Carl and Jessie.

"Tranquilizer" he said.

"I'll take it" Jessie said, grabbing the syringe. "Josh is my brother. If he's still somewhere in there, I should be able to get close enough to him to tranquilize him"

"Whenever you're ready Jessie, I'll be waiting for you outside" Carl said. He gave her a pat on the shoulder before stepping outside.

"Are you sure you still want to do this?" Specs asked her.

"If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't have volunteered to go" Jessie responded. Specs placed his hand on her knee. Her hand fell on top of his.

"What if you get hurt or worse?"

"Then I guess you two will have to come and save me" She leaned over and pressed her lips against Specs' in a gentle kiss. "I've got to go"

"I know"

"Good luck and be careful" Tucker warned her.

"I will" Jessie said before leaving the van and meeting up with Carl. They started walking towards the house. Once they reached the front door, Jessie knocked on it. Not even a minute later, Josh opened it.

"Hi Josh" Jessie said.

"Hi. Who's this?" Josh asked

"My name is Carl. I know you don't remember me Josh. Elise and I did our best to make sure of that" Carl said

"You're right. I don't remember you, and I don't know why you're with my sister"

"Your mother called me when you started experiencing some problems. What I saw scared me so badly, so I reached out to Elise. Now Elise is gone. I was wondering if you could help give me some closure"

"That's why I called him. He wanted to talk to both of us about her" Jessie explained.

"Sure" Josh said. They went inside the house and Jessie got a closer look at her brother's face. She started running her thumb against every inch of it.

"You need to start moisturizing. You're only thirty six and starting to look like an old man" she said. Josh gave her a smile.

"Thanks for the advice" he said.

* * *

Jessie and Carl sat on the couch. Josh sat in the chair across from them. He kept on coughing.

"Are you okay?" Jessie asked

"I'm fine. Just woke up feeling a little under the weather" Josh said

"I suppose I wanted to ask you if you had any idea what happened to Elise. I tried talking to Jessie about it but she told me her mind drew a blank" Carl said

"No, I don't"

"I should remind you that I'm not the person who's going to look at you funny if you tell me something unusual. I've seen things with my own eyes most people have to go to sleep to conjure up"

"Elise sent me to a place that still haunts my dreams, but I got my son back" Josh said. Jessie glanced down at the floor and noticed a tooth. She covered it with her foot. "I don't know. I left the room for about ten minutes and when I came back, Elise was dead" Using her foot, Jessie dragged the tooth towards her. "She had been strangled"

"That sounds pretty horrific" Carl said

"Sorry but I have an itch on my ankle" Jessie said. She leaned down a pretended to scratch her ankle. Since she was sitting behind the table, Josh couldn't really see that she had picked up the tooth. "I need to start using a better moisturizer"

"There you go again about the moisturizer" Josh said.

"When you were a boy, you said it was an old woman who haunted you. Did you see that same old woman when you were in the other world?" Carl said. Jessie got up from the couch and began walked towards Josh.

"No" Josh reached over and grabbed Jessie's wrist, gripping her arm tightly. "Where are you going?"

"Oh, I'm thirsty so I'm getting a glass of water" she said.

"Let me get it for you" Josh got up from the chair and walked towards the kitchen. He left behind his handprint on Jessie's arm. Once Josh was out of the room, Jessie opened up her palm, revealing the tooth.

"Is that a tooth?" Carl said

"Yes, and I know for a fact that it belongs to Josh" she replied. She stuffed it into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out the syringe.

"What you got there Jessie?" Josh asked, making her jump and turn around.

"Nothing" she responded.

"I thought maybe you two were playing with Carl's dice"

"Excuse me?" Carl asked

"Mother tells me you like to play with dice"

"Did she? I didn't realize you two had spoken this morning" Carl pulled the dice out of his pocket.That's how I do my readings" Jessie could see that Josh was holding something behind his back.

"What are you holding behind your back?" she asked

"Why don't you ask the dice, or your imaginary friend Benny, what I have behind my back? Come on, roll em' and see. Or should we wait for your friend to tell you?" Josh asked.

"Carl, just roll the dice"

"Mother tells me you were very good with them at the house. Come on, it'll be fun" Carl held the dice above the table next to him.

_Jessie, get out of there! He has a knife!_

"What does Josh.... What does Parker Crane have behind his back?" Carl asked. The smile that was on Josh's face disappeared, and the dice landed on the table. The dice said the same thing Benny told Jessie. _Knife._

"She was always right" Josh said, revealing the knife. He looked towards Jessie, and threw the mug at her. She managed to dodge it but was she wasn't able to dodge was Josh charging after her. Carl had tried to intervene but Josh shoved him out of the way, making him hit the wall. Josh stabbed Jessie in the shoulder. She screamed in pain. Using the injured arm, she managed to reach into her pocket and got out the tranquilizer. She tried injecting it into Josh's neck, but he was too strong for her, holding her hand in place. Josh became too strong for her, pushing her back and making Jessie hit her head against the cabinet. She dropped the tranquilizer, and fell unconscious to the ground.

 


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Jessie is knocked out, she finally enters The Further. There she meets up with Benny, Josh and Carl. They set out to find Elise.
> 
> Will they find her? And will something from Jessie's past come to haunt her?

After Jessie was knocked out with a bleeding shoulder, Carl attempted to sedate Josh. Unfortunately, Josh had began to strangle him. Specs and Tucker ran into the house. Specs tried to help Carl fight off Josh, but Josh shoved him away, knocking his glasses off of him and hit his head against the same cabinet that Jessie had hit her head on. Specs fell to the ground beside Jessie. Luckily, Tucker had a taser and used it on Josh. Carl was free from his grasp, but he passed out. Josh had the tranquilizer in his hands and stabbed it into Tucker's leg. He passed out, landing on top of Specs. Josh crawled over to Specs, grabbed his head and knocked him out by hitting his head against the floor.

* * *

Jessie's eyes opened and she noticed that her surroundings had changed. She was still in the living room except it was dark. She managed to glance at her shoulder and noticed her blood stained blouse but she didn't feel any pain. Then she stood up and saw something that frightened her. It was her own body, laying on the ground with the same bloody shoulder.

"Jessie? Is that you?" she heard Carl's voice. She turned around and saw him stand up.

"Carl, where are we?" Jessie asked.

"You're in The Further" a familiar voice said. She turned around yet again and saw Josh. The real Josh. "Jessie, what happened to your shoulder?"

"I was stabbed. What do you mean I'm in The Further? I was never able to travel here"

"I brought you here" Benny said, standing beside Josh. "This is the only time that I'm allowing your astral body to leave your physical body, and it wasn't my choice. It was Josh's"

"I'm really sorry Jessie, but I need your help. I wouldn't have asked Benny to do this, if I didn't need it" Josh said. He looked towards Carl. "I know you, don't I?"

"Why is Carl here anyway? Did you bring him here too?" Jessie asked, mainly to Benny. He shook his head.

"It killed you" Josh said to Carl. "I'm sorry. That thing is going to murder my family if I don't get back. Jessie, you're even lucky you're still alive"

"I'm not gonna be for long if my body doesn't get to a hospital"

"I'm trapped here, and I'm getting weaker the longer I'm away from my body"

"Elise" Carl said

"Elise, she's not here" Josh said.

"Well then, we'll have to find her"

"Wait, what do we do about..." Jessie said as she pointed at her body.

"We have to be quick to get me back to my body, if you want to get back to yours. The longer you're away from it, the weaker you'll become" Josh said.

"Alright" The four of them approached the front door, which opened as soon as they stood in front of it. They couldn't see anything except pure darkness.

"Into The Further we go" Carl said.

 


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As they continue to explore, Josh, Jessie, Benny and Carl find the house where it all started. That's where the find Elise where she has come to help.
> 
> Will Josh be able to get back to his body with the help of Elise? Or are there still some obstacles he has to face?

Jessie, Josh, Carl and Benny continued exploring in hopes of finding Elise. They kept on calling out her name but there was no reply.

"Elise!" Carl called out. There was a response of shrill, shrieking voices. Josh winced then turned to look at him.

"Don't do that" he said. Carl was quiet for a moment as he stared at the space in front of Josh. "What is it?"

"There's someone standing in front of you"

"I don't see anybody"

"He's right in front of you. He's talking to you"

"What's he saying?"

"He's got your baby"

"What's he doing now?"

"He's pointing at something" Carl looked in the direction the man was pointing. "Over there" It was the house in which the whole thing started. The sound of Renai's voice could he heard but it sounded like an old radio broadcast. There was a man pacing back and forth in front of the door. Then he was inside the house, visible through the window.

"Josh, that night. That's the man Renai said she saw" Jessie said. The man looked towards Jessie and Josh, and he smirked as Cali started crying on the baby monitor. Then he disappeared, making the two siblings run towards the door. Josh started banging on the door while Jessie was trying the door handle.

"Renai!" Josh said

"If you can hear us, please let us in!" Jessie said. Josh peeked through the window. When the light inside turned on, he saw himself coming down the stairs. When the door opened, both Josh and Jessie went wide eyed at seeing the past Josh. "Okay, this is weird and creepy"

"Hello?" past Josh said. The door only remained open for a moment longer until past Josh closed it. Jessie and Josh could hear Cali crying. He pushed open the door, which triggered the alarm. At this point, Carl and Benny joined them and they rushed inside the house. Upstairs, the man who has been in front of the house was there.

"Get away from her!" Josh warned. He attempted to fight him off but was too strong. That was until a light shined near the man's voice and a voice spoke.

"Go to hell!" The man fell out the window. Jessie went over to help Josh up. The person who had helped him turned around. It was Elise. "Josh. I wish I could say it's good to see you" She hugged him and then looked at Jessie. "I never expected to see you here Jessie"

"Benny let me cross over so I could help Josh" Jessie explained. Elise hugged Jessie and then looked towards Benny.

"I didn't have a choice. Josh needed help and we he found me, he asked me to bring Jessie here" he explained.

"That's alright. Just as long as Jessie makes it back to her body when this is all over" Elise explained.

"I'm so sorry. You shouldn't be here" Josh said

"We all pass through this place eventually. Hopefully on our way to some place better. I've seen that better place but I came back here because I heard you calling, and I think I can help" Elise said. She finally noticed Carl. "Carl, what are you doing here? You are not supposed to be here"

"I failed you Elise" Carl said

"No you didn't" Elise brought him into a hug. "You were looking for Josh and you found him. Josh and Jessie, you two don't belong here, and neither does that entity belong in your world"

"I don't know how to fight her" Josh said

"Out there in the darkness, she has a home where all her memories live from her life. Use those memories to draw her out of her vessel so you can get back into your body"

"Where do I find her home?"

"You know where that is"

"I don't remember"

"Maybe we're asking the wrong Josh"

 

 


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josh and Jessie get the help of young Josh. Meanwhile, Parker Crane stops at nothing to try and kill the rest of the family.

Josh and Jessie found the young Josh from that night the Elise first tried to help him.

"Josh, I need your help. I don't have any memories of the old woman any more, but you do. We need to know where she lives" the older Josh said. The young Josh got up from his chair.

"I'll show you" he said. He lead the way while the older Josh and Jessie followed. Young Josh brought them to the front door, where Carl, Elise and Benny were waiting. Young Josh pointed to it. Carl pushed the door opened, and the group of five went into the room. It lead into the basement where a red door was waiting.

* * *

When Lorraine and Renai got home, it was awfully quiet except for the sound of dice hitting a table. They went into the room where Parker Crane was waiting for them.

"Hi honey. Waiting for the boys but they're not home yet" he said

"Didn't Carl stop by today? He was with your sister" Lorraine said

"No, I don't think so"Lorraine turned on the light. Josh's face looked older because Parker had been in it for so long. He lunged after Renai and Lorraine and they ran to the front door. Unfortunately, Parker beat them there. The two of them ran into the next room, closing the door on his hand, making him scream in pain. Lorraine and Renai began pushing the piano towards the door. "It's been so long since I felt real pain. I miss it but not as much as I miss inflicting it on others" Parker tried to push the door open, prompting the two women to put more things in front of the door. Eventually, Parker made his way through the door and began chasing them again. Lorraine was shoved into the bathroom, while Renai jumped onto Parker's back.

"Renai, get out of here. Run" Lorraine said. Renai fell off of Parker and backed away from him. He closed and locked the door on Lorraine.

"I'll come back for you mommy" Parker said before running after Renai. She made it into the kitchen when Parker tried to grab her. She grabbed a pot off the stove and hit him on the head with it. In return, he grabbed the kettle and threw it at Renai. It hit her in the back, making her fall to the ground. She started crawling towards the door. "I didn't want this Renai. She wanted me to kill you, but I said no. Now, I know she was right" He grabbed her by the feet and flipped her onto her back. He got on top of her.

"You are a miserable, ungrateful bitch. You have no idea how much you've wasted your life being afraid of the dead because pretty soon, you're going to be one of them. When I take you to my home in the dark, you'll realize how happy you should've been for your brief little moment in the sun" His hands wrapped around her neck and Renai started struggling. Luckily, Parker had been hit with a baseball bat by Dalton. Renai got up, grabbed him and Foster, and they ran to the basement.

 


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final confrontation goes down in The Further.
> 
> Will Josh and Jessie be able to find their way back?

Behind the red door was the stairwell of another house. Elise looked to the top of the stairs so that's where everyone went. At the end of the hallway looked to be an open room. The room was bright and there was a girl sitting on the bed. The same girl Jessie saw with Specs and Tucker. Josh and Jessie walked up to her and tried to talk to her.

"Hello?" Josh said

"Can you hear us?" Jessie asked. She reached out to touch the girl's shoulder, only for her to look at Jessie and then take of the wig. It was a little boy.

"My name is Parker!" his voice echoed.

"What is this?" a woman asked. It was Mrs. Crane, Parker's mother. She held a piece of paper in her hands. It was a drawing that Parker made for her. "Did you do this?" Parker shook his head. "Don't you dare!" She slapped Parker. "Speak the truth. Did you?"

"Yes"

"That is not your name! Parker is not your name! That is the name your father gave you. Your name is Marilyn. Do you understand? Repeat after me. My name is Marilyn. Say it!"

"My name is Marilyn" Parker repeated in a quiet voice. He definitely sounded terrified of his mother. Mrs. Crane started touching his face.

"Quiet now. If you don't be a good little girl, you'll get---" Mrs. Crane stopped talking and looked towards Carl, Elise and Benny. She screamed, pointed at them and sent them out of the room. Jessie and Josh were back in the hallway, separated from the other three.

"Destroy her Josh! End this!" Elise said. Tears began to stain Jessie's cheek. She had never been more life and she really just wanted to get back to her body. Josh knew this so she grabbed onto her hand. When they both turned around, the dead bodies Jessie saw earlier were in front of them.

"Where am I?" a whisper said. Using her free hand, Jessie uncovered the faces of the bodies.

* * *

Back in the real world, Dalton decided to go to sleep to try and bring Josh back. When he was asleep, Parker Crane had managed to break into the basement. Meanwhile upstairs, Specs had regained consciousness again. He had noticed Tucker was knocked out and then he noticed Jessie was as well and that her shoulder was bleeding.

"Jessie? Can you hear me?" There was no response from her. He gently touched her shoulder, which was still wet with blood. She was still bleeding but not a lot, though she still needed medical attention. Then he heard banging coming from the bathroom.

"Let me out!" Lorraine's voice cried. Specs ran over to the bathroom, unlocked the door and let her out.

"Where is he?" he asked her

"He's got Renai. Have you seen Jessie?" Lorraine asked

"She's knocked out and her shoulder is bleeding. I think he might have stabbed her. She needs to get to a hospital" Him and Lorraine rushed down to the basement.

* * *

Renai was fighting off Parker with the fire extinguisher he used to break in with. When Parker pulled it out of her hands, she pushed the metal storage shelves on him. After that, Parker pushed her to the ground.

* * *

Back in The Further, Elise was still pounding against the door when she saw Parker. She walked up to him.

"Parker, help me destroy the memories of her. It will set you free. Please, let me in. Open the door" Elise said. On the other side, Josh and Jessie were still pulling the sheets off of Parker Crane's victims. Josh finally found Mrs. Crane. She screamed and put her hands around his neck.

"Little girls need to learn to be good!" Jessie attempted to fight her away from him but Mrs. Crane knocked her to the ground. Luckily, Elise came to the rescue when she hit her over the head with the rocking horse. When Mrs. Crane fell to the ground, Elise beat her over and over with the rocking chair until she was gone.

* * *

In the basement, Parker grabbed a hammer and was about to use it on Dalton until he started to scream. Eventually, he fell to the ground.

* * *

Elise helped Jessie up off the ground. Josh ran over to join the two of them, along with Carl and Benny.

"You two need to go now. Josh, go find your body. Benny, help Jessie get to hers" Elise said

"I wish we could take you with us" Josh said.

"You can't but you can take Carl"

"What?" Carl asked

"I told you, you don't belong here. I felt your heart beat when I hugged you. You're still alive. You can live again but you three have to go now. Go now!" Josh, Carl, Jessie and Benny all ran off. The house disappeared and then they were in darkness again. There was muttered whispering and then they were in the center of malevolent entities.

"Get away! Get back!" Josh chanted.

"Daddy!" Dalton's voice called out.

"Dalton!"

"Where are you?" Jessie called out.

"Daddy! Aunt Jessie!" He had found them. Josh and Jessie both engulfed him in a hug.

"What are you doing here?" Josh asked.

"I came to bring you home" Dalton said

"How'd you find us?" Jessie asked

"I followed daddy's steps" Dalton has he cup phone with him and Renai could be heard through it.

"Please, wake up. Where are you? Come back to me" she said.

"That's mommy" Dalton said. He grabbed the string. "Follow me"

"Clever boy" Carl commented.

"Jessie, you have to come with me. I need to bring you back to your body. You're injured and you need to get to the hospital before anything bad happens" Benny said, grabbed onto her shoulders. She nodded and looked back towards Josh, Carl and Dalton.

"Alright. You three go on ahead. Benny is going to help me" she said.

"Okay. I'll see you when you get back. Please, be careful" Josh said. He and Jessie hugged each other.

"Good luck Jessie. We'll be waiting for you" Carl said.

"You'll find you're back Auntie Jessie. I believe in you" Dalton said. Jessie gave a smile before going to find her body with Benny.

 


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josh makes it back to his body, but unfortunately for Jessie, it's not so easy.
> 
> Who is The Knifed Man? And will this be the last time Jessie encounters him?

Josh and Dalton had returned to their bodies. Renai was still unsure if it was Josh who was in his body so she stared at him. He looked at her and smiled.

"It's me. Renai, it's me. It's okay" he said.

"Daddy?" Dalton said. He moved away from Renai and hugged Josh. "Daddy, you're back!"

"Thanks to you" Foster went over to hug Josh as well. Renai was still skeptical but Josh kept reassuring her. "Renai, it's me. It's okay. I tried reaching you. I tried everything. I played your song" Renai crawled over to him.

"I should have known it was you. Only you could play it that badly" she said. They laughed and then kissed before Lorraine joined them. Just then, Tucker broke into the basement, giving everybody a scare.

"Jessie is still passed out and I think she needs a hospital" he said. That's when Josh remembered.

"She's not in her body right now" he said.

"You mean she travelled to The Further?" Lorraine asked.

"Yeah. I needed her help, but right now we need to help her. Someone needs to go upstairs and wait with her. Speak to her so that she'll have a voice to follow"

"I'll go" Specs offered.

"I'm coming with you" Lorraine said. Her and Specs made their way upstairs. Renai became worried again.

"Josh, will she make it back?"

"I know she will. Benny is with her, and I know he won't let anything bad happen to her"

* * *

In The Further, Jessie and Benny were still searching for her body. She started to feel her shoulder throb in pain, making her groan.

"Are you okay?" Benny asked

"Yeah. I was stabbed in my shoulder and I guess the wound is deeper than I thought. I need to find my body so I can get medical attention" Jessie said. It's easier said than done because she was lost. That is until she heard a voice speaking to her.

"Jessie, if you can hear me, I need you to follow my voice" Specs' voice echoed. The two twins followed the voice. "Follow my voice. Come back to us" The voice kept getting louder which meant they were close. Jessie suddenly halted when she saw something that made her freeze. It was a man who had various knives stabbed into his body. The one that stood out was the one that was pushed deep into where his heart would be. The man gave Jessie an evil grin.

"Princess, what a surprise" the man said. Jessie knew that voice, just like the knew the face that went with hit. The man stalked towards her. "My, my. You're still as pretty as ever. However, it is your fault I'm here" Jessie tried to look to Benny but noticed that he was gone. She was alone with this man, the only thing that prevented her from getting to her body.

"Jessie, follow my voice. Come back to us" Specs said again.

The man got even closer to Jessie, but she couldn't move. The man smiled, revealing his disgusting yellow teeth. "If you hadn't screamed that night, your mother wouldn't have rushed in and stabbed me to death" His hand gripped Jessie's throat, hard enough to leave a handprint. Using his other hand, he grabbed the knife from where his heart was and pulled it out of his body. He pressed the sharp blade against Jessie's cheek. She winced in pain as she felt the knife cut her cheek open, and the cold blood trickle down her cheek. "If you think I'm going to let you return to your body, then you're wrong"

* * *

In the living room, Specs kneeled beside Jessie, holding her hand and speaking to her. Lorraine kneeled on the other side of her, watching intently, hoping to at least see her nose twitch.

"Jessie, follow my voice. Come back to us" Specs said. They were soon joined by Tucker, Josh and Renai. Renai had sent Dalton and Foster to their room.

"Is she back yet?" Renai asked

"Not yet" Lorraine said.

"Wait, what's the around her neck?" Josh asked, noticing that her neck was turning red. Lorraine leaned in close to look and noticed that it was a hand print.

"It's a handprint" At that same time, a cut formed on her cheek and it began to bleed. Just like her astral body.

"Oh my god, what's happening to her?" Renai asked. Another wound appeared but it was on her uninjured shoulder. Then in the stomach area, blood started seeping through her shirt.

"Tucker, go call an ambulance. She needs to get to a hospital. Renai, I want you to get some wet towels" Lorraine said. Tucker went into the kitchen, while Renai went off to get some towels. 

* * *

Jessie tried to speak but nothing was coming out, but she just couldn't say anything. He stabbed her in the other shoulder, making her cry in pain. "You're special, princess. Whatever happens to your astral body, will affect your physical body. That means if I stabbed you in the stomach," the man stabbed her as hard as he could in her stomach, "then it's like I'm stabbing your physical body. Now, let's say I stabbed you right here" The tip of the knife was touching the spot above her heart. "That would be the end for you. You'd never be able to return. You'd be stuck here with me. Forever"

"P-please, just let me go" Jessie finally spoke, but her voice was very weak.

"I'm afraid that's not going to happen" Before the man could stab the knife into Jessie, a force had knocked him to the ground. Jessie fell to the ground. When she looked up, she saw Benny fighting off the man.

"Jessie, get to your body! Now!" he said. Mustering up all the strength that she could, she stood up. She clutched her stomach, which stung with pain and walked back to her physical body.

* * *

Jessie's eyes shot open, and was relieved to find that she was back in the living room. She tried moving but the pain in her shoulders and stomach made it hard for her to do so.

"Don't move, sweetheart. It's okay" Lorraine said.

"Mom" Jessie spoke. Her voice sounded very hoarse. She could feel a hand holding hers and noticed that it was Specs'. "Specs"

"You're going to be fine Jessie. You're okay now" he said.

"What happened to you?" Josh asked.

"I-it was him. He did this to me" Jessie looked at Lorraine. "He wanted to kill me. He wanted to stab me to death, just like you did to him" That's when Lorraine knew who Jessie was talking about.

"Mom, what is she talking about?" Josh asked.

"My old boyfriend. His name was Jerry Henries. I stabbed him to death after I found him in bed with Jessie. She was crying and screaming, and he had a knife in his hands. He would've raped her and possibly killed her if I hadn't killed him that night" Renai came back with some towels. She nearly dropped them when she saw that Jessie was awake.

"Jessie, I was so worried! What happened?" she asked. Tucker also came back into the living room.

"The ambulance is on it's way" he said. Jessie started to cry, and she winced in pain when the salty liquid touched her cheek wound. Specs began wiping her tears away.

"It's okay Jessie. Nothing can hurt you now" he assured her. She finally managed to crack a smile.

 


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything in The Further is finally over, and Carl makes Josh, Jessie and Dalton forget about their abilities to travel.

Jessie was taken to the hospital. She had to get stitches on her shoulders and stomach, and her cheek would heal on its own with scarring, but other than that there was nothing seriously wrong with Jessie. When the doctor questioned her on how she got the cuts, she told a lie about being attacked during a break in. When she was free to go, she left her room and noticed Specs and Tucker waiting for her.

"I didn't think you guys would be here" she said

"We just wanted to make sure that you're alright. How are you feeling?" Tucker asked

"I'm okay. I'm still sore, but the doctor said the pain would go away with some pain killers. I'm going to have some scarring but it'll be very minimal"

"We were so worried about you, especially me. I don't know what I would have done if you didn't make it back, considering that I...." Specs trailed off.

"Considering you what?"

"It's not important. What is important is that you're okay" Jessie smiled and then gave him a kiss.

"I'm ready to go home now" she said. She walked on ahead while Specs and Tucker followed her.

"Dude, were you about to tell her that you love her?" Tucker asked

"I think it's too soon to tell her that" Specs replied.

* * *

Jessie explained to Specs and Tucker how she was attacked in The Further and how it affected her physical body. She told them about Jerry Henries aka The Knifed Man but she didn't go into too much detail about her past with him.

"We're so sorry you had to go through that" Specs said

"It's not your fault that happened to me. I'm just glad it's over and hopefully I never have to go there ever again" Jessie said.

"We have a plan for that. Carl is going to hypnotize you, Josh and Dalton so you can forget how to travel" Tucker explained. They set foot in the living room where Josh, Lorraine, Renai, Carl and the kids waited. Renai went over to Jessie, carefully hugging her.

"I'm so glad you're okay. We were all so worried" she said

"The doctor stitched me up and said there will be scarring, but other than that, I'm fine" Jessie said.

"I can't help but feel like this is my fault. If I hadn't asked for your help, Benny never would have let you cross through" Josh said.

"Don't blame yourself Josh" He smiled and then hugged Jessie. Then it was Lorraine's turn to hug her.

"When I saw that you started bleeding, I started assuming the worst. I thought you were never going to wake up again. Thank God you're okay" Lorraine said. Jessie smiled and then looked towards Carl.

"Look who's back. Guess it wasn't quite your time yet" Jessie said.

"Just like it wasn't yours. It's good to have you back Jessie" Carl said

"You too"

* * *

"Are you ready?" Carl asked. Dalton sat in between Josh and Jessie on the couch. They were about to be hypnotized so that they could forget how to travel into The Further.

"We're ready. We're ready to forget once and for all" Josh said

"No more travelling. This is the only world we want to be in" Jessie said

"Good. Close your eyes" Josh, Jessie and Dalton all closed their eyes. The metronome ticked in the background. "Take a deep breath. Feel yourself getting sleepier and sleepier, and let the darkness drift. Further, and further away"

 

 

 

 


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a year since The Lambert hauntings. Everything is normal again except that Jessie has been having nightmares. Meanwhile, at a book signing, Jessie and Renai meet two old friends of Elise's.
> 
> Who are Elise's friends? And what do they need from Jessie?

_One Year Later_

It's been one year since The Lambert haunting. Josh, Renai and the kids were moved back into their old house, while Jessie got a house of her own using the money she got from the book she published. Her book was based on the experiences that her family went through, but she also added some things to the story. She credited Specs and Tucker as co-writers of the book. The two of them moved in with her. Ever since Jessie's book was published, the two paranormal investigators have been getting more and more calls about clients going through hauntings.

Jessie was in the kitchen making some breakfast. She was frying bacon when she heard whining coming from beside her. It was Spirit, her Affenpinscher.

"You want some bacon, don't you?" Jessie asked the dog. Spirit barked in response. "Okay, fine" She grabbed one of the bacon strips and threw it on the floor. Spirit grabbed the bacon with his mouth and ran out of the kitchen.

"I smell bacon" Tucker announced as he walked into the kitchen. He tried reaching for a piece but Jessie slapped his hand. "You don't need to get violent with me"

"Breakfast isn't ready yet. Is Specs up yet?"

"I'm not the one who shares a bed with him" Jessie got unusually quiet for a moment. "Jess, you alright?"

"Yeah Tucker, I'm fine. I just had another nightmare last night" Yes, Josh, Dalton and Jessie were hypnotized to forget about that stuff, but ever since her time in The Further, Jessie's been having frequent nightmares. "I keep seeing him in my dreams"

"Keep seeing who in your dreams?" Specs asked when he entered the kitchen. Jessie hadn't exactly told Specs about her nightmares. She didn't want him to worry about her, considering the fact that the two of them were officially boyfriend and girlfriend.

"Just this character from one of my favorite tv shows" Jessie lied. Specs nodded in response and pressed a kiss to Jessie's lips. "Are you two coming to my book signing today?"

"We'd love to be there, but we have to go see a client today" Specs explained.

"But if we get done early, we can stop by" Tucker said.

* * *

Renai wound up going with Jessie to the book signing. She was helping Jessie set up her books. Jessie proceeded to tell Renai about her nightmares.

"I don't think I completely forgot about it Renai. Is Josh or Dalton having nightmares?" Jessie asked.

"No, they've completely forgotten about that stuff. They don't even realize that the book is the stuff that happened to them" Renai explained. Jessie sighed and sat at the table. Renai placed her hand on Jessie's shoulder. "Have you been seeing a therapist?"

"Yep. The only other people who know besides you and my therapist are mom and Tucker"

"You've never told Specs?"

"No. I don't need him to worry about me"

"Maybe you should tell him. Maybe he could help you. Anyways, it looks like your fans are ready. How about you?"

"Yep. Bring them in"

* * *

The book signing lasted for nearly an hour. There were fans sharing how much they loved the book, and some were even sharing their ghostly experiences, which Jessie loved hearing. It finally came down to the last two fans. They were both blonde women, and they both reminded Jessie of Elise. Both girls set their books down in front of her.

"Hi. Who am I making the books out to?" Jessie asked.

"One is for Imogen, and the other is for Melissa" the first girl said. Jessie smiled and signed the books.

"Thank you so much. We really loved the book. One of the characters, Eleanor, really reminded us of our aunt" the second girl said.

"Yeah, and then there was Stuart and Trevor. They were like these two guys that our aunt worked with" the first girl said. Jessie and Renai looked to each other, and then back to the two girls.

"Who is your aunt exactly?" Jessie asked.

"I'm Imogen and this is Melissa. Elise Rainier is our aunt, and we know that you knew her"

 


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jessie brings her new friends, Imogen and Melissa home. However, she also finds that there's an unwanted visitor. Is it a man from her past coming to haunt her? And who will she turn to for help?

  
Jessie invited Renai, Imogen and Melissa back to her house. It would be awhile yet before Specs and Tucker were to be back. They all settled themselves in the living room.

"Do you guys want tea or anything?" Jessie asked.

"We'd love some. Thank you" Melissa said. Jessie retreated into the kitchen. She put the kettle on, and fished out everything else she needed. She stopped, however, when she felt a strange presence behind her. Almost as if someone was breathing on her neck. She turned around but didn't see anybody there. She was startled when the kettle startled to whistle. Jessie poured the hot water and the teabags into the cups. She was pouring herself a cup when a voice whispered in her ear.

Hello, princess

She dropped the cup of hot water. The liquid seared her arm, and she yelped out in pain. Imogen was the one to burst into the kitchen. She saw Jessie's red flesh, and she also saw the terrified look in her new friend's eyes.

"Jessie, are you okay?" Imogen asked. She grabbed a towel and wet it with cold water. The scorch wasn't serious. She gently placed the cool and wet towel on Jessie's arm. "It's okay. It's not serious"

"H-he was here" Jessie said.

"Who was here?"

"Him. The man who hurt me. He won't leave me alone!" Jessie broke out in tears. Imogen didn't know who Jessie was talking about but she knew enough to know that this would be one of those things that her aunt would deal with.

* * *

Jessie managed to get a hold of Specs. He said that they would be working all night but would be home as soon as they got finished. Renai was a little unsure about leaving Jessie, since she was informed of what happened, but Imogen and Melissa offered to stay with Jessie until Specs and Tucker got back.

"Call me if anything happens" Renai said.

"I will Renai, don't worry" Jessie said. The two of them hugged each other. There was a honk coming from outside, indicating that Josh was waiting for his wife.

"I guess I should go before I make Josh wait all night for me" With that, Renai left, leaving Jessie alone with her two new friends.

"I'll show you guys the spare room. It's small but there are two beds. You guys might end up being here the whole night" Jessie said.

"That's fine. Honestly, we know what you've been through and we understand you don't want to be alone" Melissa said.

"Anything you need from us, don't hesitate to ask" Imogen said.

* * *

 After Jessie made sure that Imogen and Melissa were settled in for the night, she had snuck off to her private room. It was a locked room that only she had access to. Both Specs and Tucker always asked her about it, but she always told them that it was her quiet writing space. She wouldn't dare tell them that this is where she comes so that she can visit her twin brother. The only thing is that she has to go to him. Jessie dimmed the lights and grabbed the metronome. She sat in the chair that was stationed in the middle of the room. The metronome started to tick, and Jessie closed her eyes. She focused on the ticking and pictured herself entering The Further.

"Jessie, what are you doing here?" She opened her eyes. She looked over and saw her physical self sitting in the chair. She then looked over to Benny. He didn't seem very happy that his sister was here. "You know you shouldn't be here"

"I know Benny but I needed to talk to you" Jessie said.

"What's wrong?"

"He keeps coming to see me"

 

 


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jessie makes a promise to Benny, and she also comes clean to Specs and Tucker. They are also reunited with their old friends, Imogen and Melissa. Will Jessie be able to keep her promise? And will she learn of Specs and Imogen's past?

"What do you mean Jessie?" Benny asked.

"Jerry won't leave me alone! Whenever I'm alone, I feel his breath on my neck and I hear him whisper princess in my ear" Jessie said. She was on the verge of tears and Benny wrapped his arms around her. "I just don't know what to do!"

"Have you told anyone?"

"Renai is the only one who knows"

"Have you considered telling Specs? He deserves to know and he might be able to help you"

"I don't want him to know. That's why I came to you. Have you spoken to Elise lately?"

"Not since the thing that happened with Josh. Jessie, you need to listen to me" Benny grabbed his twin by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "You need to return to your body before Jerry finds out you're here and tries to hurt you, or worse if he gets to your physical body. Until we can get rid of him, I need you to stop coming here to see me. I'll start coming to see you. I'll try my best to get in contact with Elise"

"Okay. Just promise you'll come see me as soon as you can" Jessie begged.

"I promise" Benny assured her.

* * *

Imogen and Melissa sat quietly in the living room. It was really quiet in the house and they began to wonder where Jessie had went off to.

"Do you think Jessie's okay?" Melissa asked.

"Well, we haven't heard her scream yet so that's a good sign" Imogen said. At that moment, Melissa and Imogen heard a scream coming from Jessie's private room. They quickly ran into the dark room. They couldn't see anything but they could hear the ticking metronome, and Jessie's whimpers of fright. "Melissa, find the light switch"

"On it" Melissa started feeling her way around the walls until she managed to find the light switch. She turned it on. A brightness lit the room, and the image they saw disturbed them. Jessie was sitting, crying in a chair. The word PRINCESS was carved onto her chest. "Oh my God, what happened?"

"I-I returned to m-my body and I f-felt the pain" Jessie cried.

"Returned to your body?" Imogen asked. She knew immediately what Jessie meant as she shared the same gift. "You can astral project?" Jessie nodded. The sound of the front door opening and closing upstairs caught their attention.

"Jessie, we're back" Specs said.

"Did you make dinner?" Tucker asked. Jessie shot out of her chair and ran out of her room. The two paranormal investigators came into her view. They both looked at her, and the color flushed out of their faces when they saw what was on her.

"Jessie, what happened?" Specs asked as he approached her. Her arms wrapped around him. His arms securely wrapped around her in return, while Tucker placed his hand on her shoulder.

"P-please don't be mad at me" Jessie asked.

"Why would I be mad at you?"

"He's been stalking me"

"Who has?"

"Jerry Henries" Tucker answered for her.

"Wait, you mean the man who tried to rape you? But he's dead" Specs said.

"His spirit is the one tormenting me. I don't know what to do. I went to Benny for help--" Jessie explained before she was cut off by Specs.

"Hang on a second, you're still traveling to The Further? You have to stop. Especially if there's a spirit of a crazy man still obsessed with you"

"Benny told me the same thing" Jessie finally managed to crack a smile. She looked at Tucker. "Tucker, could you go find the first aid kit? This should probably get cleaned" Jessie motioned towards her chest.

"If you want to be alone, all you have to do is ask" Tucker said. He left Jessie and Specs alone. Their lips met in a needy kiss. It was quickly interrupted however when Jessie's two guests made themselves known.

"I'm sorry. Are we interrupting?" Melissa asked. Jessie and Specs pulled away to look at them.

"Melissa? Imogen?" Specs said.

"Wait, you know them?" Jessie asked.

"Yeah. We go back" Imogen said. She looked right at Specs as she said this, and Jessie could immediately tell that there was something that went on between them.

 


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jessie finds out about Specs and Imogen's history, and Benny looks to Elise for help. How will Jessie react? And will Elise be able to help?

Jessie's eyes flicked between Specs and Imogen. She smirked once the realization came to her.

"So, you two used to date, huh?" Jessie said. The two quickly looked at her, and shook their heads.

"No, not really" Imogen said

"I mean, it was one kiss" Specs said

"But we were never really a thing"

"Scout's honor"

"Guys, it's totally cool if you two dated. I mean it's not like you're dating now. I still talk to my ex-boyfriend every now and then--" Jessie was cut off by Specs.

"You had a boyfriend before me?" he asked.

"Yeah. I thought I told you about him"

"No, I don't seem to ever remember you mentioning him"

"Guys!" Imogen said. Jessie and Specs looked at her. "Is this really important right now? We should be focused on keeping Jessie safe"

"She's right. I'm never leaving your side until this psycho is gone" Specs said, taking Jessie's hand in his.

"Thanks you guys. This whole thing has made me tired so I'm going to head off to bed. I'll call Renai and my mom in the morning" Jessie said.

"If you're going to bed, then I'm going with you"

"I'm gonna call it a night too" Imogen said. Jessie, Specs and Imogen made their way off to bed, leaving Melissa and Tucker alone. The two of them looked at each other.

"Wanna make out?" Melissa asked.

"Sure" Tucker said.

* * *

Benny could sense that his sister's physical body had been attacked. It was due to the connection he had with her. Jerry could have killed her, and she would've been stuck with him forever. Benny didn't want that to happen, which meant he had to get in contact with Elise as fast as he could.

"Elise, I don't know if you can hear me but this is Benjamin Lambert, the brother of Josh and Jessie Lambert. My sister is in trouble and you're the only one who can help"

"That's why I'm here" the familiar voice said. Benny turned around and saw Elise. He immediately pulled her into a hug. "Jessie's in trouble, isn't she?"

"Yeah. That man is haunting her and I don't know how much longer it'll be before he kills her, and takes her for his own sick pleasure"

"Has Jessie been visiting The Further?"

"Yes but I told her to stop. In return, I'd start visiting her again" Benny put his head in his hands. "I feel like this is my fault. If I hadn't stopped visiting her, then she wouldn't had started coming back here and he would never have started stalking her"

"Benny, this is is no way your fault. Jerry would have done this either way. Luckily, there is a way to stop him, it's just a matter of figuring out how"

"Great. I'll do anything"

"I need you to start visiting Lorraine. Ask her all questions you have on Jerry. The more we know about him, the easier it will be to stop him. Anything I tell you to tell Jessie, you tell her. The most important thing you can do though, is make sure that she does not, under any circumstances, visit The Further"

"Thanks for your help Elise" Elise smiled and placed her hand on Benny's shoulder. She gave it a squeeze as she spoke.

"Let's stop this sick son of a bitch"

 


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Benny seeks help from Lorraine, and she begins to tell him about Jerry. What will Lorraine's story entail? And will it be able to help stop him?

Lorraine was in the kitchen, making herself some dinner, when she felt a presence behind her. She grabbed a knife and turned around, only to find her deceased son. She let out a sigh of relief and put the knife down.

"I'm sorry mom. I didn't mean to scare you" Benny said.

"It's alright" Lorraine said. She wrapped her arms around him. "I'm assuming there's a reason you're here. It's Jessie, isn't it?"

"Yes. Elise sent me to come talk to you. I need to talk to you about Jerry Henries" Lorraine's fist clenched at the sound of his name.

"Is that bastard still trying to hurt my daughter?"

"Yes, and he's getting that much closer to killing her"

"What do you need to know?"

"Everything"

~

_1995_

Josh and Jessie both sat on the couch in the living room, watching t.v. Lorraine was currently out on a date with a man that she's been seeing for a couple. The two siblings shared a bowl of popcorn as they were engrossed in the movie that was airing.

"Do you think mom's boyfriend will be our new dad?" Jessie asked.

"Come on Jessie. They've only been out on a couple of dates. I don't think they're considering marriage this early" Josh said.

"I know, but still. It'd be nice to have a dad. It wouldn't be as lonely as it will be when you go off to college in September"

"And you've still got three years of high school" The sound of the door opening made the two siblings avert their attention away from the t.v. Lorraine came into the living room with a man following behind her.

"Hey you two. I'm glad you're still up" Lorraine said. She motioned for her two children to get off the couch, and come over to her and her boyfriend. They did just that. "I'd like you to meet the man I've been seeing. This is Jerry. Jerry, this is my son Josh" Jerry and Josh shook hands.

"You've got quite the grip there, son" Jerry said.

"Thank you sir. I play baseball" Josh said. They let go of each other's hands, and Jerry's eyes crept over to Jessie. His eyes scanned over her body, and he smirked. Jessie awkwardly smiled.

_Don't trust him Jessie_

Benny was standing beside Jessie now. However, she was the only one who could see him. Jerry's eyes never left Jessie as Lorraine continued on with introductions.

"This is my daughter Jessie" she said, oblivious to the fact that her boyfriend was practically undressing her daughter with his eyes. Jessie nervously held out her hand for him to shake.

"It's nice to meet you" she said. Instead of a hand shake, Jerry wrapped his arms around her in a hug.

"And it's a pleasure to meet you" Jerry said, adding emphasis on the word "pleasure". The hug lasted longer than Jessie would have liked. Josh became concerned when he saw the look on his sister's face. She looked scared. Unfortunately, Lorraine hadn't noticed yet. Jerry finally let go of Jessie.

"Jerry's going to be staying with us for a few days. He has a bug problem at his house, and it's currently being fumigated. Josh, why don't you help me take his bags to the guest room? Jessie, can you make him some coffee please?" Lorraine said. Her and Josh grabbed Jerry's bags and made their way to the guest room, leaving Jessie and Jerry alone. Jessie was about to head into the kitchen when Jerry grabbed her by the arm.

"Your mom never told me how beautiful you are, princess. You and I are going to have fun for the next few days" Jerry said. He began to pet her hair. Jessie managed to get away from him, heading into the kitchen with tears swelling in her eyes.

 


	33. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josh finds out about Jerry's behaviour towards Jessie. He convinces Jessie to tell Lorraine, but unfortunately, Jerry makes his move later that night. Luckily, Lorraine is there to stop him. How does Lorraine react? And is Jessie's nightmare finally over?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter does contain attempted rape and self harm. If you don't feel comfortable reading or if it's a trigger, there is no need to read this chapter. If you do wish to read on, then please do so.
> 
> I wasn't expecting to have a chapter like this as I was writing, so I didn't put anything in the tags but here we are.

For the next few days, Jerry has been making all sorts of unwanted advances towards, from whispering disgusting comments in her ear to inappropriate lingering touches. Of course, Lorraine didn't notice any of this. Jerry wasn't stupid enough to do it while she was in the room. Unfortunately for him, Josh wasn't oblivious to catch on to what he was doing.

From the minute Jerry stepped through their front door, Josh had a very bad vibe about Jerry. These vibes only grew worse every time he saw his sister's face whenever Jerry was with her. It didn't take long before he noticed all the whispering and touches. He knew he should say something to Lorraine, but he also thought he should talk to Jessie about it first.

~

Josh approached his shared room with Jessie. The door was closed and it was very quiet in the room, except for the sound of quiet whimpers. He knocked on the door.

"Jessie, it's Josh"

"G-go away" Jessie stuttered.

"No Jess, I need to talk to you. I'm coming in" Josh opened the door, and immediately panicked at what he saw. Jessie was sitting on the bed, crying. There was blood dripping on the floor from the cuts she had made in her wrists. "Jessie, what did you do?" Josh immediately went to his closet and found an old shirt he hardly wears anymore. He kneeled in front of her and wrapped the shirt around her wrists.

"I can't take it anymore Josh"

"Can't take what any more?"

"Jerry. He tells me things like "he's going to make my first time special" and "what a nice body I have." I hate when he touches me. It started with my shoulders and my legs, but now he's starting to grope my breasts when mom's not around. I just want it to stop Josh!" Jessie leaned into her brother and cried into his shoulder. He protectively wrapped his arms around her.

"The only way we're going to do anything is if you tell anyone. Like mom or the police"

"No way! This is mom's first serious boyfriend since dad--"

"I know Jess, but you're her daughter. You're way more important than any guy that mom dates" Jessie stared at Josh for a moment, thinking about what she should do.

"Fine, I'll tell her, but you have to give me time, and don't tell her for me" Jessie pleaded.

"I promise I won't" Josh said.

~

It was about two o'clock in the morning. Jerry had woken up, unable to contain his urges for Jessie any longer. Without waking Lorraine, he crept to Jessie and Josh's shared bedroom. He knew he had to be quiet, otherwise he'd risk waking up Josh. He crawled into bed with Jessie and began stroking her hair. Jessie's eyes shot open, and when she saw Jerry, she wanted to scream. However, he put his hand over her mouth.

"Shh, don't scream princess. It's time princess. I can't wait any longer and I know you can't either" Jerry said. Jessie shook her head. "Let's get this shirt off of you" Using one hand, he managed to rip her shirt open. Luckily, she was wearing a bra but she still felt so exposed to him. She began to tear up, and only muffled mumbles came out of her mouth. "Look at you princess. You've got such a sexy little body" Jerry leaned in and started kissing her neck, while at the same time, he began to pull his pants down. Jessie was struggling to get away.

Fortunately, Josh had woken up and made his way to Lorraine's room, without being noticed by Jerry. He managed to wake Lorraine up, and she looked up at him, noticing the wet streaks on his face.

"Josh, what's wrong? Where's Jerry?" Lorraine asked.

"He's in Jessie's room. He's on top of her. He's trying to rape her" Josh said. Lorraine didn't even hesitate for a second. She ran out of the room and into the kitchen. She searched the drawers until she found a large, sharp kitchen knife. Gripping the knife in her hand, Lorraine rushed to her son and daughter's bedroom. A wave of anger came over her when she saw Jerry on top of her daughter, pulling down her pyjama pants.

"You sick son of a bitch!" Lorraine said. She grabbed Jerry by the collar of his shirt, pulling him off of her daughter. She slammed him down on the floor and straddled him. She rose the knife in the air, and Jerry quickly noticed what she was about to do.

"L-Lorraine, please don't do this. That slut daughter of yours came onto me" Jerry attempted to defend himself.

"Don't you fucking dare call my daughter a slut!" The knife came down fast, first piercing Jerry in the stomach. Lorraine kept stabbing him in various places including once near the heart and once in the groin. The death blow came when she stabbed him right in the head. Jerry was dead, eyes open, lying in a pool of blood. She looked towards Josh and Jessie, who were on Josh's bed, holding onto each other.

"He's not going to hurt you any more Jessie"

Except it wasn't Lorraine who said it. It was Benny. Jessie looked over to him as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Jessie's nightmare was finally over.

 

 

 


	34. Chapter 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Benny figures out the key to killing Jerry's vengeful spirit. He visits Jessie and Specs and shares the plan with them. However, there is one problem that prevents their plan but a friend offers some assistance. Will their plan work? And who is the friend that is willing to help?

Lorraine had finished telling Benny everything about Jerry. She had broken out in tears at one point and her face was now damp with tears.

"Mom, don't blame yourself. It wasn't your fault for what happened, it wasn't Josh's and it certainly wasn't Jessie's" Benny said

"I know but if I had noticed earlier--" Lorraine said

"Mom, you stopped him before he did anything serious. You should be thankful for that"

"I know, but now this son of a bitch is haunting my daughter. Did Elise tell you how to stop him?"

"No. She asked me to come to you first"

"I'm sorry, I don't know"

"I don't know if this helps, but I've seen him before. He had knives sticking everywhere in his body. I assume they're the places you stabbed him" When Benny said that, something clicked in Lorraine's head. She went wide eyed with realization. Benny noticed this. "What is it mom?"

"Was there a knife in his head?"

"Yes, that was the biggest knife that was on him"

"Son, I think I know how to stop him"

* * *

While everyone else was asleep, Jessie stayed up. She was afraid of going to sleep. She was afraid that Jerry would get to her and she would never wake up again. She looked down at the scars on her wrists. Specs nearly scared her when he spoke up from behind her.

"You okay Jessie?" he asked

"No. I can't sleep. If I sleep, he's going to find me and he's going to kill me. He'll take me away from mom, from Josh, from Renai... from you" Jessie said. Specs reached over and took Jessie's hands in his.

"I wouldn't let that happen to you, I promise. I also promise that we will stop this creep from harming you ever again" Jessie looked over to Specs and smiled.

"I'm glad I met you"

"I'm glad I met you too" Their lips met in a gentle, loving kiss. When they pulled away, Specs felt the need to come out and say what he needed to. "Jessie, there's something I've been wanting to tell you for a long time now"

"What is it Specs?"

"I lo--"

"Jessie! I know how to stop Jerry!" Benny suddenly appeared behind Specs, interrupting what he was about to say. Jessie looked towards, and oddly enough, Specs did as well. Usually he wasn't able to see or hear Benny. "Oh, sorry. Am I interrupting? I can come back when you're done"

"No, it's fine" Specs said.

"Wait, you can see and hear him?" Jessie asked. Specs nodded in response. "Usually it's only me who can see or hear him"

"That's because I choose so, but I know you trust Specs, and I do too so I thought it was time for us to meet" Benny explained.

"Benny, you said you know how to stop Jerry. Could you tell us how?" Specs asked.

"Jessie, you remember what Jerry looked like when you saw him right?"

"Yes, he had knives all over his body. He had the biggest knife in his head" Jessie said.

"It turns out that each of those knives represents the places where mom stabbed him that night. He can remove the smaller knives without harm to himself, but he never seems to remove the knife from his head"

"I see where Benny's going with this. Jessie, if you were to somehow remove the knife from his head, that would end up killing Jerry's spirit" Specs said.

"But how am I supposed to do that? I can't take him on alone, and he's stronger than you Benny" Jessie said.

"Here's where the catch comes in. I told Elise about this before I came to see you. She agreed to help so that would make three of us, but since he's one of the strongest and dangerous ones in the Further, Elise said we'd need a fourth person to help us out" Benny said

"Where are we supposed to find a fourth person to help? Josh can't do it. Everything about The Further was hypnotized out of him"

"Maybe I could help" Everyone looked towards Imogen who was standing in the doorway of the room.

 


End file.
